From the Rockies to Tree Hill
by OTHWriter23
Summary: Nathan and Haley are pen pals. Haley lives in Colorado and Nathan lives in Tree Hill.
1. Letter from the Rockies

**Chapter One: Letter from the Rockies**

"Okay class, settle down. This is your assignment...I think you are all really going to like it!" Mrs. Sonat said. "I have this close friend who lives in Tree Hill, North Carolina, who is a teacher. We decided that since we both teach the same class, that we would have our classes be pen pals with each other. You will be writing letters about yourselves and the important things that are going on in your lives to this mystery person. All of your parents have been notified that you will be doing this so there is nothing to be worried about in that department. Nonetheless, we would ask you not to provide any specific details about yourselves, which would include your addresses, phone numbers, etc. I will send all of our letters in one big envelope, the same as my friend will do from North Carolina. I think this is going to be a really great experience for all of you. I bet you never imagined that you Coloradoians would be able to have a friendship with another kid in North Carolina!"

Mrs. Sonat gave a couple minutes for the kids to discuss their new assignment. She was very happy with all of their reaction, especially since they were all freshman in high school who were very hard to please.

"Now I will put the names of your pen pals on the overhead. All I ask of you to do now is to start writing your letter. Don't forget to have fun with this assignment, kids. Plus, you will most likely never meet this person, so don't be afraid to tell them who you are. No ones judging you on this assignment!"

"Theresa, how are you going to start your letter?" Haley James exclaimed.

"Oh I don't know Haley, I suppose I'll just start rambling and see how it goes from there."

"Oh okay. Well, Mrs. Sonat is giving us that please-be-quiet-look, so we should probably just start writing" Haley said.

Haley began to write her letter to her new pen pal, Nathan Scott. At first, she was a little afraid to have a boy as pen pal. Then, she realized that this could be a good opportunity for her. She had always had such close girl friends but had never had a close boy friend. She figured that maybe now should could find a male friend in Nathan.

_Dear Nathan,_

_Well, my teacher Mrs. Sonat just gave us this pen pal assignment. I was assigned to you of course, hence the letter you are holding in your hands at this moment. I suppose I should tell you a little about myself. My name is Haley and I am a freshman in high school in Denver, Colorado. I absolutely love to write, so my letters might be a little lengthy. But on the other hand, you will have something very good to read (hopefully), so enjoy my ramblings!_

_When I was younger, my parents bought me a keyboard. That's how I learned that I had a singing voice. First, I learned how to play the keyboard and then I taught myself how to play all of the sheet music to my favorite artists. You should feel very privileged to know this information but no one in my school knows that I love to sing. I am not quite sure why I keep it such a secret. Maybe because for the first time in my life, singing and music is something that I can just call my own. I don't have to share it with anyone (believe me, that's nice to have when you have a huge family like mine). I hope that doesn't sound selfish because believe me, I am none of the sorts. It's just nice to keep it private, for now anyway. _

_Okay, so now that I have told you my deepest secret, I suppose I'll lighten the mood a little. I love to read books. I have always been a bookworm. It's not that I hide in novels during school or anything, it's just nice to escape into other people's lives for a few moments during my day. You can understand that right? Hmm, what else. Oh, I love to watch basketball on television. I am not really that great at it myself, but I try anyways. I have several brothers, so I got roped into liking basketball from an earlier age. I wonder if you like basketball. (I would assume that would give us something to talk about considering I doubt you would like to talk about my singing voice.) _

_I suppose I should probably close now. Hopefully you found some interest in my letter. If not, well then you can add some comedy into the one you send me. I can't wait to hear from you. Until then, goodbye from the Rocky Mountain State._

_Haley_


	2. Basketball Dreams

**Chapter Two: Basketball Dreams**

Nathan Scott had just received his english assignment from his teacher, Mr. Rival. He was less than enthusiastic about the upcoming project. Why would he want to write to a girl in Colorado? Besides, how much could they have in common anyway?

_Haley,_

_Hi, my name is Nathan. I am a freshman in high school in Tree Hill, North Carolina. I am a horrible writer so don't expect too much from me. My teacher, Mr. Rival, said that we should write our pen pals a letter, so here I am. I think I will just give you a brief history of myslef. I am a huge basketball fan. I play all of the time, on the varsity team (which is insane for a freshman to be placed on) and at home (just to get away from all of my parents yelling...but that story is for another day). Basically, I eat, breathe, and sleep basketball. I sure hope that doesn't bother you too much because I will most likely be talking about it in my letters._

_I like rap and hip-hop music. I love to just play basketball with my iPod in my ears. Music tends to just allow me to get away from it all, especially when I'm playing basketball. Not to talk about basketball anymore, but I really like to play at night, at the river court. Not to sound girlie or anything, because I am definitely a guys-guy, but it is so peaceful there at night. I love to just put on my music, grab my basketball, and just play under the stars for hours at a time. _

_School comes second to basketball. It's as simple as that. It's probably not the best philosphy...but it works for me. My grades aren't that wonderful. Actually, in all reality, my grades suck. But, I plan to get a full ride scholarship by playing basketball in college. ( I hope that all works out...we'll see on that one)._

_Alrighty, I think I will just leave it at that. I suppose I will hear from you in a couple of weeks. Mr. Rival said that we will be writing letters every month. So, talk to you then._

_Nathan_

------------

Haley and Theresa were sitting in Mrs. Sonat's english class excitedly waiting for her to pass out their pen pal's letters.

"Alright class, go ahead and read your letters. I am sure you will all enjoy reading these," Mrs. Sonat said.

Haley opened her letter carefully, making sure not to rip the envelope and the precious cargo that it held. As she read the letter from Nathan, no emotion was shown on her face. She realized that this friendship might be a little more complicated than she thought. Sure, he loved basketball, something they had in common and they both loved music, even though their music tastes were on opposite sides of the spectrum, but she couldn't get beside the fact that this boy had a little more baggage than she was used to. He seemed to have a hard family life and it was as if school was the least important thing on his mind, something Haley was definitely not used to have the feelings of.

"Haley," pause "Earth to Haley James!" Theresa whispered from her desk.

"Yeah, Theresa. Sorry, I guess I just kind of slipped into my own little thoughts for a second. What do you need?"

"I want to know how your letter is. This girl I am pen pals with, Brooke, seems to be really nice. She is a cheerleader and seems to be the really popular type but it seems to me that she is really a genuine person and it looks like we will get along better than I thought we would. How's Nathan's letter? Worse or better than you expected?"

"Theresa, the letter was a little worse than expected. He seems to have a completely different life than I do. On the plus side, he does like basketball and music so I suppose we will make it work somehow."

"Oh Haley, if I know anyone who can relate to him, it would be you. You have always been good with dealing with other students that have their own little difficulties. Besides, it's not like your life is perfect, no offense or anything. Maybe you will have more in common with him than you think, just give it a chance."

"Thanks, I'm sure it will all work out in the end."

And with that, Haley began to write her next letter to Nathan.


	3. Surprises in a Letter

**Chapter Three: Surprises in a Letter**

Nathan had just read Haley's first letter to him. He was actually kind of surprised that she actually liked basketball. Maybe this assignment wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would be. He decided that he would just write the letter to her now, while her letter was still fresh in his memory.

_Haley,_

_So you live in the Rocky Mountains, eh? We sure do live on different sides of the US. I have never been to the Rockies before, but I would love to visit there someday. I was actually surprised when I read your letter. I didn't imagine that we would have basketball in common with each other. That should give us something to talk about if we start to get bored with each other._

_Okay, so I am going to respond to your letter a little bit. You like to sing...but you don't let anyone really know about it. As hard as it seems to believe, I can relate to your little dilemia. If you don't mind though, I don't really want to tell you about my dilemia just quite yet. I think I will just allow you to ponder what my little dilemia is...keep you in suspense!_

_We seem to have opposite views on schooling. I have the impression that you are an 'A Honor Roll Student' and would rather study history notes than watch television. Don't worry, I don't have a problem with that. I admire that about you...I wish I could be that smart or have that much determination to succeed in school. My dad always pressured basketball on me, he never lectured me on my schoolwork, regardless of what my grades were. My mom was always traveling for busineess too, so she didn't really take the time to focus on my schooling. Sometimes, I wish that my parents paid more attention to my grades, maybe that would give me something to work for. _

_I think I am going to stop writing now. Even though the letter is kind of short, I figured I told you a lot about myself in a short amount of space. Hope you enjoyed reading this._

_Nathan_

As Nathan finished up writing his letter to Haley, his brother Lucas tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey Nate, how's the pen pal? Is she going to be boring or do you think you will have something to actually talk about?"

"Actually Luke, she doesn't seem half bad. I expected worse."

"Good Nate. You know, maybe this pen pal project will be good for you. Even though you won't admit it, I know you have a ton of stuff running through your head. Maybe writing it all down will help you deal with it all" Lucas said as he and Nathan walked out of english class and into the over-crowded hallways of Tree Hill High.

"Luke, you know I am no writer like you are."

"No, I know that. But, I believe it is a proven fact that writing is a good therapy for people, even people like you."

"I suppose we'll just see what happens Luke. I guess it wouldn't be too bad if I let her know about my life. It's not like you're going to meet her anytime soon."

"Exactly. Alright man, I'm going to go to the library and study for a little bit for my history test."

"See you later, Luke."

As Nathan watched Luke walk away, he couldn't believe that he had found such a great friend in Lucas. Three years ago, he had found out that his dad was actually Nathan's dad too. At first, his mom denied it but he finally knew it was true when she heard her crying in her bedroom. He wanted to hate Nathan when he first met him. He figured he was just like his dad. The dad that had abandoned him since he was born. Then, after they had been put into the same algebra and biology class during the seventh grade, he realized that Nathan was actually not too bad after all.

Even though Nathan was the bad boy freshman of Tree Hill and Lucas was the bookworm, they both had basketball in common. Plus, it was nice to have a brother around that they could vent to when needed. Dan, their father, didn't quite approve of their relationship but after a while, he just let them be friends. Nate knew that it was hard for Luke to see his dad, so they often just spent their time at the river court, knowing that it would be a place for both of them just to relax.

Realizing that he was just standing in the hallway thinking, Nathan decided to move on with his day and go to lunch. The one hour in his school day where he didn't have to do schoolwork. To him, that was paradise.


	4. Troubles at Home

**Chapter Four: Troubles at Home**

"Haley, you are going to be late for school!" Mrs. James yelled from the bottom of the banister.

Haley was running a little late this morning. She had been up late last night thinking about Nathan. For some reason, she couldn't get him out of her head. She was beginning to think that this pen pal project would actually be really good for her. She thought that she would be able to open up to him. Maybe she would even be able to tell him things that she didn't even tell Theresa, her best friend since pre-school. The idea of having someone just reading your letters and not really judging you for it, was a huge release for her.

"Haley James!"

"Mom, I'm coming! Sorry it took so long, it was a late night."

"Haley, you know I want you to do your best in school and I don't think you can do your best work if you are up into the wee hours of the morning."

"Mom, I'm fine, really, I just couldn't sleep for some reason" Haley said, knowing she exactly what the reason was.

"Alright, well I'll drop you off since you missed the bus. Oh and you are going to have to make dinner for yourself tonight, your father and I won't be home 'til late."

Haley walked out of the house as her mom locked up the front door. She opened up the door to their 4-door sedan and allowed herself to slam the door just as her mom was getting into the car.

"Excuse me, what was with the slamming of the door?"

"Mom, why is it that you and dad are always leaving me home alone at night. You know how uneasy it makes me feel regardless of how many times you do it in a month. Even though I am your last child, I am still your child and I would appreciate it if you were home with me more than twice a week."

"Oh Haley, I know this is hard on you. Believe me, this is hard on me and your father as well. You just have to understand honey that your dad's job is kind of on the edge right now. These business dinners are for his well-being and our well-being. Plus, I know you enjoy having a roof over your head and food to fill that ever growling stomach of yours."

"Okay, I guess I will just have to deal with the absence of my family."

Mrs. James looked at her daughter sadly, knowing that whatever she would say to her, it wouldn't be satisfying for Haley.

Haley on the other hand, was beginning to think of some more things to write about to Nathan. She decided to write to him about her family life. She needed a place to vent and this pen pal assignment was the perfect place for it.

As Haley got out of the car, she waved to her mom and pretended to be at least somewhat happy, for her mom's sake. She knew that this was hard on her mom but she felt like her mom didn't realize that it was even harder on her, regardless of what she said in the car.

Haley plopped into her seat in english class. Mrs. Sonat took attendance and then told the class that they would be writing their letters to their pen pals today. Haley felt almost a little bit of butterflies in her stomach, hoping that Nathan would like her letter that she was about to write him.

Theresa was about to whisper something to Haley when she looked at her and realized that she was completely zoned on the letter she was writing. She had never seen this side of her before. Haley had always been a reserved but perky girl. These letters that they were writing seemed to bring out a little bit more in Haley. The side of Haley that no one had even seen before, even Theresa. She was happy for her friend, knowing that these letters were probably theraputic for her considering the hardships that were occuring at home, even though Haley denied them.

_Dear HotShot Basketball Player,_

_Do you like your new name? I thought I would try it out...I think I might just like using Nathan better though. To answer your question, yes, I enjoyed reading your previous letter. You said that it was short but had a lot of information compacted inside...and you were right. You get straight to the point in your letters...I like that. I am more of a rambling type of person (I assume you have probably noticed). Since you wrote about your parents in your latest letter, I thought I would continue with the topic._

_No one really knows that my parents are having financial troubles. We try to keep it on the 'down-low' (you know I never really did like that expression, do you use it in Tree Hill?). Anyways, my parents often leave me home at night to go to business meetings and meet other associates. I try to keep a smile on my face for them but deep down it's tearing me up inside. I love my family dearly and the fact that I hardly get to see them just doesn't sit quite right with me. _

_My parents didn't know that I could hear them one night while they were talking, but they actually brought up the word 'moving'. The thought of leaving the beautiful landscape of mountains and my closest friends behind scares me. Hopefully, moving would be a last resort for them or us for that matter. _

_Well, there's a lot of information for you. On a happier note, I scored four three pointers in a row the other day. And...I tried playing basketball with my iPod on, under the stars (even though it was pretty chilly), and you were right, it is really peaceful when you play basketball at night. Thanks for the tip! Can't wait to read your response. _

_Oh and by the way...I think I'm actually starting to like this whole pen pal thing. I had my reservations at first but I am starting to realize that being able to write to use is actually kind of nice. Just thought I would let you know. _

_Haley_


	5. Late Night at the River Court

**Chapter Five: Late Night at the Rivercourt**

"Nathan Scott and Lucas Roe!" Coach Durham yelled, "You both need to work on your footwork. Just because I put you on varsity doesn't mean you can start to slack off. Alright, go to the showers...practice is over."

"Nate, you want to meet me at the rivercourt tonight, say 8 o'clock?"

"Yeah Luke, that sounds fine to me. We should probably start focusing more on our techniques anyway. I think we still have a lot to learn."

"Indeed little bro, we have lots to learn. I'm going to go over to the cafe to see my mom and eat dinner. You want to join?

"Nah man, I'll be fine at home. My mom came home this afternoon so I should probably go grace her with my presence, just to make sure she knows I'm still living"

"Haha...okay Nate, see ya tonight."

"Later Luke."

-----------

"Nathan, honey, I'm so glad you're home. I missed you so much when I was away" Debra Scott exclaimed as she motioned Nathan to come sit down for dinner.

'Hi Mom. I missed you too" Nathan said solemnly. Even though he put a smile on his face, he would much rather be with Luke right now, at Karen's Cafe. Karen was always such a great parent to Lucas. She was always there when she needed him. He had longed for that ever since he was little. Truth be told, his parents were either too over-bearing or non-exsistent at all, something he wish he could desperately change.

"Nate, how was basketball practice? You the top scorer on the team yet?" Dan Scott said as he sat down at the dinner table.

"Well Dad..."

"Dan, can we not talk about basketball right now. I just got home from my trip and I would like to know how my son is doing."

"Deb, Nathan is basketball, basketball is Nathan. If you want to know how your son is doing, you have to ask him about his game."

"How about this guys," Nathan said angrily, "Mom, I am fine. School sucks but what else is new. Dad, my game is also fine. Coach says I have to work on my footwork a bit. That's all you both need to know."

With that, Nathan stormed out of the dining room and out the front door. He began to head to the rivercourt a little early. Even though Lucas wouldn't be there until eight, it would be nice to have about an hour to himself. He thought he would be able to get some quality thinking done.

-----------

Nathan had been playing bassketball at the rivercourt for about an hour now. The sun had finally set across the river, leaving the stars to listen in the sky. Even though the sky was dark, the moon seemed to reflect off of the river, allowing the rivercourt to be lit up just a little bit. The leaves rustled in the ever growing trees. Even though it was almost the end of October, there were still some leaves left. Winter was soon approaching and Nathan knew that, allowing himself to soak up all the rivercourt time he had left before the first snowfall.

"Hey Nate"

"Luke, what's up man?"

"I thought you said 8 o'clock. Did I hear you wrong or something? It looks like you have been playing here for a while already."

"I got here about an hour ago. You know how I told you how my mom came home this afternoon?"

"Yeah. I take it the welcome home didn't span out as well as you thought it would."

"Oh no, it's exactly how I thought it would go. My mom gave me her "I missed you" speech. Then, the lovely father of my came in and decided to ask me about basketball. My mom got angry at him. So, I just told them that I was fine and then stormed out of the house. I swear Luke, it's like everytime they are in the same room together, they can't just seem to get along. Even if I'm in the room."

"I'm sorry bro. I know your home life isn't all that great. If it helps any, I wish I could make a difference for you and your family, but I know I can't."

"Thanks Luke. Hey, we mine as well start playing some basketball. Coach said footwork is key."

"Hah...yeah...footwork I suppose is the first thing we should work on."

Nathan and Luke began to practice. Luke knew that Nathan didn't want to go home, so he didn't tell him what time it was until about 10 o'clock. Goodness, if he was in his situation, he wouldn't want to go home either.

----------

The next morning, Nathan woke up to a rustling wind. It was definitely starting to get colder out and all he wanted to do was stay in his comfortable bed of his. He then realized that today was the day of the week that he would get to write to Haley during english class. All he hoped was that Mr. Rival didn't forget...he sure did have a lot of things to tell her.

---------

Nathan walked into Room 116 and looked at the chalkboard. It read as follows: Good Morning Students! I had to run to a meeting this morning but told the substitute, Mrs. Snow, that you were to all write to your pen pals for the hour. Happy Writings!

Nathan had a huge smile on his face. He placed his backpack down on the floor next to his desk and pulled out his pen and notebook. As he began to write, he realized how easy it was to be able to write to her, the mystery girl from Colorado.

_Dear Haley,_

_I enjoyed reading your last letter. Well, maybe I shouldn't say enjoyed because you obviously are having some family issues at home. I am sorry about that. I can definitely relate. My parents are never home and when they are home together, they are always fighting. For instance, my mom got home from a business trip last week. She asked me how I was doing and then my dad began to ask me about my game. My mom began to lose, as well as my dad, I just stormed out the front door and didn't came back for about three hours. I went to the rivercourt to go play basketball with my brother. You know, sometimes I think the reason I like basketball so much is because it allows me to channel all of my frustrations at home into the game. Maybe that doesn't make sense, I don't know, it does to me._

_I think you are very creative with my name. HotShot Basketball player is quite the title to live up too. In all honesty though, I wouldn't mind you calling me Nate. That's what all of my friends call me at school and then all of the parents and teachers call me Nathan. And since I consider you a friend, or mystery friend that is, I would like you to call me Nate. If you get bored though and want to think of more fun names to call me, that's fine by me as well._

_The bell is about to ring, so I better finish up this letter to you. Hope you are doing well. Oh and by the way, I'm glad you liked my little basketball tip. ( I figured you would like it.)_

_Nathan "HotShot Basketball Player"_

_P.S. I like writing to you too._


	6. Promise You'll Be My Friend

**Chapter Six: Promise You'll Be My Friend**

It was 9 o'clock at night and Haley was still playing basketball in her driveway. Her parents were again gone for the evening so she spent the last couple hours of her day under the stars.

"Hey Haley!"

"Theresa, what are you doing here?"

"I was just walking home from the library. I was in need for some exercise. What are you up to anyway? Since when do you always play basketball at night with an iPod in your ears?"

"Oh, it's a tip I just picked up...from a friend."

"Oh," Theresa said, a little skeptical about the friend Haley was talking about but decided to ignore it.

"Hey Theresa, can I ask you a question? Promise me you won't get mad."

"Haley you know you can always ask me anything. I promise I won't get mad. You are starting to scare me though, so what's on your mind?"

"It's not official or anything, but my parents are starting to look into pricing for another house. I tend to listen in on their conversations at night because they never want to tell me what's going on. Anyways, you know how my dad's work has been struggling a little and it sounds like he might be transfered to another state. I was just wondering if you could promise me that even though I might leave Colorado, you will still keep in touch with me" Haley said sadly, knowing the bitter truth inside that in a little less than a year, she would be uprooted from everything she loved.

"Oh Haley," Theresa said as she pulled Haley into a hug, "You know that we will always be friends, no matter what state we are living in. I promise!"

"Thanks Theresa" Haley said as a small tear rolled down her cheek.

"Do you want to talk about this a little more or do you want some time to yourself?"

"To be honest with you, I think I kind of just want to go inside and crawl into bed."

"No problem. I will see you tomorrow at school okay? Oh and don't forget, we get to write letters to our pen pals tomorrow. Hopefully that is something you can look forward too."

"I totally forgot about that. Yeah, that is something to look forward too. Alrighty Theresa, see you later."

"Bye Haley!"

----------

Haley went inside her house and made sure all of the windows and doors were locked. She walked slowly up the stairs and into her bedroom. She put on her purple and blue striped pajamas and sat down in her bed. She turned on her CD player so that she could fall asleep to the sound of Sarah McLachlan's voice. She decided that she wouldn't wait up for her parents to come home. Instead, she would ask about the dinner party the next morning. She closed her eyes and within ten minutes she was in a deep sleep.

----------

"Good morning Haley! You look like you are well refreshed. Would you like some pancakes?" Mrs. James said as she watched Haley come into the dining room.

"Hey Mom. Yeah, I went to bed pretty early last night. I'm sorry I didn't stay up to say goodnight but I had a lot of things on my mind. Oh and yes, I would love some pancakes. I am starving!"

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

"To be honest Mom, not really. I am sure I will figure it out sooner or later."

"Alright honey, just let me know. I am always here if you need to talk."

"Thanks Mom. Well, it's time to put my nose in the books. See you later!"

"Goodbye Haley. Have fun at school."

---------

Theresa and Haley met at Haley's locker that morning. They both decided that they would walk to english class together. They kept to themselves mostly. Theresa knew Haley had a lot on her mind and she didn't want to push her into telling her information that she didn't want to let out yet, so she kept quiet.

---------

"Good morning students!" Mrs. Sonat said excitedly to her class. "Boy, do you guys look tired. Well, don't feel too sleeply or less your letters won't be very good to your pen pals. I have been talking to Mr. Rival and he seems to think that his students are really enjoying your letters. I told him that you guys seem to like this little project as well. On that note, it's time to write your letters again. Have fun!"

Haley opened her Hello Kitty notebook and tore out a sheet of paper. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to write to Nathan this time. She figured it would come to her when she began to write.

_Dear Nate,_

_See, I used your new name. I think it fits quite nicely. It sounds like we both have quite the set of parents. Except, my parents really do love each other. I think they just find it hard to be in love and take care of me at the same time, especially since I'm the last one. In your case, it sounds like your parents aren't very fond of each other. I'm sorry that your parents don't get along. I wish I could change that for you._

_I totally agree with your explanation on why you play basketball. It's just like that and my music. When I get bored or am frustrated with school or home life, I just start to play the piano and sing. It's as if time is standing still and it's just me playing along. I love that feeling. So don't worry, your not the only one who has an escape like that._

_It's now November. Can you believe that we have been exchanging letters for about two months now? Time sure has gone by pretty fast! Colorado is so beautiful when the winter months are approaching. The tops of the mountains are covered in snow and the air is crisp. All of our trees have lost their leaves so that saddens me a little bit. To be honest with you though, I kind of look forward to the snow that will be coming around pretty soon. It is so gorgeous when you wake up to a blank sheet of snow in your lawn. I wouldn't have it any other way. Does North Carolina look nice at this time of year too?_

_I think that's all I have to say at the moment so I suppose I will say goodbye now. I hope you have a wonderful week. Talk to you later!_

_Haley_


	7. A Safe Place and an Argument

**Chapter Seven: A Safe Place and an Arguement**

"Nathan Scoot shoots...and he scores a three pointer to win the game! That's right ladies and gentleman, the Ravens are still undefeated! Go Ravens!" the announcer yelled into the microphone excitedly.

As Nathan walked off the court he received congratulations from all of his varsity teammates along with a standing ovation from the crowd that had watched the game. He managed to catch a glimpse of his parents leaving the gymnasium. They both look thrilled with Nathan's victory shot. It was nice to see his parents actually happy for once.

He walked into the locker room next to Luke. They always made sure to sit next to each other during the talks that Coach Durham gave.

"Gentleman, first of all I want to tell you congratulations on keeping your undefeated season. I know we work hard in practice and I think some of you think I work you all a little too hard. In my mind, all of that extra practice seems to be paying off. You have all come so far from the beginning of the season. You are all a key part of this team, even if you all of you don't get to play all of the time. We have a week off now. It will give you a time to rest and reflect but also a time for you to look forward to the next coming weeks. Don't worry though, we will still be having practice three nights next week" Coach Durham said with a wink. "Now go hit the showers and I will see you on Monday!"

"See you later Coach!" Nathan said as he exited the locker room.

"Nathan, hold on a minute. I was wondering if I could have a moment with you in my office."

"Sure Coach" Nathan said as he started walking to the office. What would Coach Durham need to tell him?

Coach Durham closed the door and sat down in his oversized office chair. His walls were filled with newspaper clippings and pictures of past teams. The desk had stacks of folders with statistics placed inside of them.

"Nathan I wanted to tell you that I am very proud of the player you are turning out to be."

"Thanks Coach. I am really enjoying being on this team. I feel very privleged."

"I'm glad Nathan. There's something else though. I wanted to let you know that I know how your father pressures you about basketball and I wanted to make sure that you knew that if you ever needed to talk about it, I am here."

"Again, thanks Coach. It's nice to have a mentor in this school. I'm pretty used to my dad though. I tend to zone him out most of the time, which probably sounds pretty bad but he just doesn't know when to quit. Even though being on the team makes him pressure and critique me more, it makes me feel like a better person, knowing that I am rising above him and his game. That probably sounds pretty bad too."

"You know Nathan, that doesn't sound bad at all. I'm glad you have learned to zone out him pressuring you. Also, I promise you this. I coached your father for four year and I am well aware of the person he was and has become. I can assure you that you are a better man than he ever was. Just keep using your head and your heart. You'll be able to make the right decisions. I should let you go now son. Have a nice evening and I will see you at practice."

Nathan smiled at his coach and said goodbye. It was nice to have someone else, besides Haley and Luke, who knew how his father pressured him. At least he would have another person to talk to if something ever went wrong with his dad.

---------

Nathan walked home from school. His house wasn't too far from the Tree Hill High, which was nice. He walked onto his driveway and looked at his house. It was beautiful at night and even more gorgeous in the daytime. Even though there were only three people living in it, it was quite a massive house. It had five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, den, dining room, and basement. It was a brown brick house with green trim. The front of the house had a bay window, which was where the den was at in the house. He loved living there, besides the fact that there was problems brewing inside the house. He walked into the house and heard yelling come from the kitchen. Sure enough, his parents were fighting again. Instead of walking in on them, he decided to listen in on their conversation from the hallway.

"Dan, I want a divorce!" Karen screamed.

"Deb, don't you think you are getting a little carried away. You're the one who leaves all of the time. I'm the one who should be asking for a divorce."

"Dan, don't you get it? Have you noticed that I am trying to stay home longer now. As a matter of fact, I have called off all of my business trips for the next year. I want to be able to be with my son now and I want you to stop pressuring him. Maybe I'm being a little irrational but you better hear me loud and clear now. I want you to lay off of my son or I swear that you will be signing divorce papers by the end of next year!"

Nathan decided that it was now time for him to make an appearance. "What is going on here? You know, I am sick of my parents fighting all of the time. Why can't you just get along?" he said angrily.

"Nathan, sweetie, your father and I are just trying to sort a few things out."

"Well forget it, I'm not going to let you settle your differences with me upstairs trying to sleep. I'm going to Luke's."

"Nathan, don't you dare go over there. This is your house. You sleep in it!" Dan yelled becoming angry that his family was now completely in ruins.

"Dan, let him go. We need to talk and I don't want him here while we do it. Go ahead and go Nathan. I will see you tomorrow after school." Deb said calmly, knowing that she didn't want her son to hear her yelling at his dad and her husband.

"Bye" Nathan said as he walked upstairs and grabbed his cell phone, pajamas, iPod, and pillow. As he stormed out of the house, slamming the front door in the process, he flipped open his phone and called Lucas.

"Luke, can I stay there tonight?"

"Yeah man, everything alright?"

"Not really, I'll tell you when I get there."

"K, see you soon."

"Bye," Nathan said as he walked slowly to Lucas' house. He couldn't believe that he was going to have to stay at Lucas' house again. He felt bad that he had to take up space at his home but he had no where to go. Plus, Luke was his brother and he would want him to stay at his house instead of anyone else's.

-----------

When Nathan got to Lucas' house, they talked a little about what had happened and then went to bed. Luke wanted to give Nathan his space so he didn't make him tell him everything that had gone on in the Scott house.

Across town, it was another late evening at the Scott' residence. Dan and Deb managed to fight all through the night. Luckily, Nathan wasn't there to witness it.


	8. Truth Be Told

**Chapter Eight: Truth Be Told**

Haley decided to go sit in her room after school. It had been a tiring day considering she had three tests. She had been playing her piano quietly when all of a sudden her parents called her downstairs.

"Haley! Haley?" yelled Mrs. James from the living room.

"Yeah, Mom. What do you need?"

"Your father and I would like you to come downstairs please. We need to talk to you."

"I'll be there in a minute mom."

Haley got up from her bed and walked to the edge of the top of the stairs. She had a feeling that this conversation she was about to have was not going to be a good one. When was the last time her parents had asked her to have a serious conversation with them? It had been a very long time...she was wishing it could have been longer. Haley took each step very slowly, knowing that each step she took would be the the next closest step to having this conversation. She finally entered the living room and noticed her mom and dad sitting on the couch, with the rocking chair across from them empty.

"Hey Mom. Hey Dad. What do you need to talk about?" Haley said tentatively as she sat comfortably in the rocking chair.

"Well, Haley, we need to tell you something that you probably won't be very happy about." Mr. James said.

"You see Haley, you know how your dad has been having troubles at his job, right?" Mrs. James said.

"Yeah, I know you mentioned it several times. That's why you've been going on all of these business meetings."

"Well sweetie, those business meetings were actually for something else. Your father and I have been meeting with realtors and other business exceutives from different states, trying to find him a new job. After several different offers, we have found one employer that will satisfy our financial needs."

Haley took a deep breath. "Oh" was all she could get out. "I take it there is more to this story"

"Yes, there is more to this story. The last couple of weeks, we have been searching online and speaking with different realtors from a certain state where the new job will be at. So, this means Haley that we will be moving." Mrs. James exclaimed.

"Yeah, I actually already somewhat expected for this conversation to occur. I heard you and Dad speaking about moving a couple of weeks ago, when you were downstairs. I didn't want to accept it but I know that Dad's job isn't treating him fairly and I want the best for him."

"Thank you Haley. I appreciate your concern for me. I am sorry that you had to hear about this moving situation. Are you okay about this?" Mr. James said.

"To be honest with you Mom and Dad, I'm not happy with this decision at all. I would hate to be uprooted from this place. I absolutely love it here. I love having the mountains to wake up to and I love my friends that are here. But I know that I don't really have a choice in this matter. If we have to move, then we have to move."

"We are so sorry that we have to take you away from your first home but we know that you will be able to adjust just as well to the place we are moving to" Mrs. James said.

Haley put a weak smile on her face. She was surprised that this conversation wasn't making her scream. Instead, it just made her sad. She didn't want to leave her lovely home.

"Haley, do you at least want to know where we will be moving to and when we will be leaving Colorado?" Mr. James said.

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt finding out that information" Haley said calmly.

"Okay, well first we will be moving before the end of the school year. We will hopefully be leaving the last week of April. School will have ended by the time we settle down into our new home, so you won't be able to go to school until August."

"And where will we be living?"


	9. Brand New Information

**Chapter Nine: Brand New Information**

"Haley James! Are you kidding me? You're moving to Tree Hill, North Carolina!" Theresa said excitedly over her cell phone.

"I know! I can't believe it. I was completely shocked when they told me where I will be moving. To be honest Theresa, I'm terribly sadden that I won't see you everyday, but I am thrilled that I will be able to meet Nathan" Haley exclaimed.

It was already about 9 o'clock at night. Haley and her parents had talked for about two hours about where they would be living and what their whole move would entail. After their conversation, they decided to go out for a quick dinner since Haley's mom didn't have anything to make for dinner.

"Wait, so tell me everything? Did your parents just say like...we're moving to Tree Hill? I want details!"

"Okay, okay. Let me gain my composure. This may take a while" Haley said as she took a deep breath and a drink of her chammomile tea. She knew that this conversation would be a long one.

"Alright, I'm ready"

"Good Haley, get to talking!"

"They called me downstairs while I was in my room after school. I was just listening to music, keeping to myself. They told me the whole situation with my dad's job. I told them that I had already suspected this move because of what I had heard at night, from snooping. Oh and FYI, they didn't even get mad about me snooping!"

"Haha, well that's good."

"Yeah, considering I didn't know how they were going to react to that. You know at first, I was still pretty sad about this whole move. I've told you before that I absolutely love living here. It's the perfect type of lifestyle for me. Plus, it doesn't hurt that my bestest friend in the world live right down the street from me."

"I sure hope that's me you're talking about!"

"Oh please Theresa. You know I only have one best friend in this whole world and you also know that you're the only one who holds that lucky title!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm just kidding with you. Now, what is the reason for you moving to Tree Hill? For goodness sakes, there are a million places that you could have moved. Why there?"

"I was just getting there Theresa. Hold your horses!"

"Sorry, I'm just excited!"

"It's okay. On with the story. They told me that we will be moving by the end of April, but school will have already ended by the time we get there so I won't really get to meed people until August. Then, the explained to me that Tree Hill is actually a really good area for my dad to work. My dad said that the company he works for now highly recommended this firm to work for, which is about 30 minutes from downtown Tree Hill. The realtors that my parents have been speaking with told them that Tree Hill had a really good school system and was a very safe place for us to live. I think they were sold when the realtor told them about the last two bits of information I just told you."

"Wow. It sure does sound like this will be a nice place to live. It sounds like you have pretty much accepted all of this information. I just have to make sure that you are okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine Theresa. Plus, I really don't have a huge say in this matter. You know, I really like having food to eat, clothes to wear, and what not. And I like to see my dad happy so I think this move will really help taking all the stress off of him."

"You know Haley, you are a really good daughter. You amaze me sometimes how well you take in shocking news."

"Thanks Theresa. I try my best to keep a smile on my face."

"Oh my gosh, Haley, I just thought of something. You have to tell him in your next letter! I bet he will be so thrilled with this news. You guys seem to be really hitting it off. I bet you would end up having a beautiful friendship...or maybe more."

"Please, Theresa. I am not going to start thinking of some romance that I could have with my pen pal. All I want is for us to get along. Plus, it will be so nice to have someone there that I can already relate to. I'm not even quite sure if I went to tell him yet. Maybe I will leave him guessing at the end of the letter. Oooh, yeah, I'll do that."

"Haha, whatever you want to do Haley. Just make sure you tell him pretty soon."

"Oh don't worry, I will. I just don't want to scare him off so quickly. We've been sending pretty good letters so far. I don't want to rock his world with this information and then scare him away. I really look forward to reading his letters and I sure don't want the next one he sends me to be like two sentences long."

"I suppose that's understandable."

"Yeah" Haley said with a yawn.

"This is going to be so great for you Haley. I just have a feeling that this is going to turn out really well."

"Thanks, Theresa. I sure hope it turns out well. Okay, I am going to go now. I'm getting kind of sleepy."

"Alrighty, see you tomorrow in school!"

"Bye Theresa!"

Haley couldn't believe that she was going to be moving. She thought she would be moving to a different city in Colorado or to California where all of the bigger businesses were. But Tree Hill? Tree Hill! She couldn't contain her excitement. She couldn't wait to tell Nathan. Her only hope was that he would be just as excited as she was.


	10. Christmas Traditions

**Chapter Ten: Christmas Traditions**

"Hey Nate!" Lucas said with his mouth filled with a bite of a blueberry bagel.

"Luke, what's up man? Hungry I take it?"

"Yeah, completely starving. I woke up late this morning so I didn't have time to eat breakfast. I figured I would grab a bagel in the cafeteria before we headed to English."

"Well, I'm glad you're not going hungry anymore."

"Me too!" Lucas said as he took another bite of his bagel.

"So we write to our pen pals today, Luke. You excited?"

"Not as excited as I know you are. It seems like these are always the best days of the month for you, when you get to write to Haley."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, I really enjoy writing to her. I finally agree with you when you said this whole writing project would be somewhat therapeutic for me. We have a lot more in common that I ever thought we would. Even though we don't have the same hobbies, we somewhat live parallel lives with family problems and whatnot. It's really nice to have someone to write to."

"I'm really happy for you, Nate" Lucas said as he opened the door to their English classroom.

Nathan and Lucas both sat down at their desks. Lucky for them, they both sat next to each other, in the back of the classroom. The bell rang as they pulled out their notebooks and writing utensils. Mr. Rival read the attendance sheet and then prepared to tell them what they would be doing for the hour.

A month had passed and it was now two weeks before winter vacation for both Haley and Nathan. Since they both had Thanksgiving break, they hadn't had time to write letters in class. Finally, the day had come for Nathan to write another letter to Haley.

"Settle down students so I can tell you what you will be doing today."

The room fell silent, which allowed the Mr. Rival to give them their assignment.

"So it is already December, which means you have been doing this project for a little over three months now. I think it would be nice for you to maybe tell your pen pal what your traditions are for the holidays coming up. Those are usually pretty interesting to read. Other than that, just keep answering your pen pal's questions. I'm sure they will all like the letters you will sent them. The next hour is yours to write, so have fun!"

Nathan looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of what to write to Haley. He finally decided to just start writing, hoping something would come to him.

_Dear Hales,_

_Do you mind if I call you Hales? I figured since you used a nickname for me, I could return the favor. You like? Let me know in your next letter. Okay, so since it is December already, my teacher said that we should tell each other our holiday traditions. To be honest with you, we have no traditions. We get a Christmas tree like two days before Christmas Eve. My parents were never huge on decorating the house so we usually just have the tree covered in lights and a couple of homemade ornaments that I made when I was little. We usually have my grandparents over on Christmas Day. My mom will either make a simple dinner or we will cater a meal from a local restaurant. Later on, my grandpa and dad end up arguing about basketball while my grandma and mom are left cleaning up the mess in the dining room. Okay, well after writing all that, I guess we do have traditions but they aren't really great traditions. I really wish we had more of a family bonding type thing on Christmas. A guy can wish right?_

_Oh and to answer your question, yes North Carolina is nice during the winter months. The only thing I don't like about the winter is that it limits my basketball hours at the rivercourt because of the colder weather. It's nice though, having basketball practice after school, at least I can get some playing time in then._

_Thanks for wishing you could change my home life. It's nice to have someone like you, care about me. Time to go. I'm ending this letter a little sooner than expected. I just remembered that I have killer history test today that I have yet to study for. So, I am going to use the last 15 minutes of class to study. Aren't you proud of me? Talk to you later, Hales._

_Nathan_

----------

A few thousand miles away, Haley was also writing a letter to Nathan. Nathan and Haley's teachers both agreed on having their students write letters before break, considering they wouldn't be able to write until the middle of January because of finals. Unfortuantely, this made the letter harder for Haley to write because she didn't know how Nathan responded to her last letter. She figured she would wing it, asking him a couple of more questions, hoping he would answer them in his next letter to her.

_Dear Nate,_

_Hey, it's me again! I know, I bet you are so excited to get yet another letter from me. I am currently sitting in English class watching a huge snowfall outside the classroom window. Oh how I love snow. It is so gorgeous when it falls down. Plus, it is so quiet when it falls. It's not like rain, which makes a pounding noise when it's falling hard enough. Snow, it just gently falls from the sky, not hurting a thing. Alright, enough with my ramblings...I'm sure you really don't want a whole paragraph on why I love snow. _

_On with the letter. Okay, Christmas is coming up soon. I love this holiday only because all of my siblings finally come home. There are 7 siblings in my family; did I ever tell you that? Yup, I am one of those kids with a humongous family...which only means one thing...lots and lots of presents! Haha, all joking aside though, I love the fact that we all really do get along well. My mom is huge on Christmas decorations. The whole house is covered in them. I think we have enough snowman figurines to fill Denver alone. My dad isn't much for the figurines but loves picking out the Christmas tree. Every year, he insists we buy a bigger tree, knowing all too well that a big tree never fits in our family room. Once we pick out the tree, we come home and try to set it up in the family room and it always never fits. Then, we all go outside in the driveway and Dad gets the chainsaw and trims the tree so it fits in our house. He usually does a pretty sketchy job too. One side is always bigger than the other. Haha, I'm laughing just thinking about it. The neighbors think we are nuts but I love it. It's definitely a tradition that we can call our own!_

_Other than that, we have a big family meal on Christmas Day. All of my relatives come over, which means we are feeding about thirty people all at one time. Talk about commotion! It's really fun though; everyone jokes around and has a good time. See why it's my favorite holiday of the year?_

_By the way, my parents are finally going to be home with me more. They don't have to go to those lame-o dinners anymore. Cheers to that! Other than that, there is nothing else going on with me. OH! There is something that I really have to tell you! Haha...but you'll just have to wait till next time. I think I will leave you hanging...just to make you wonder! Can't wait for your next later, Nathan! Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and good luck on your finals!_

_Haley_

Haley walked to the front of the classroom and handed her letter to Mrs. Sonat. She spent the rest of the hour staring out the classroom window. She really did love watching snow fall.


	11. Leftovers for a Month

**Chapter Eleven: Leftovers for a Month**

Finals had just ended and Nathan had the weekend off to do nothing but relax. He was giddy about receiving Haley's next letter. She left him hanging! He promised himself that he would leave her hanging in his next letter as well, just to pay her back. As Nathan continued to think about Haley, his computer lit up and an IM popped up on the screen. He decided to go over to his desk and see who was wanting to talk.

BBallLuke3: Nate you there?

NScott23: Hey Luke, what's up?

BBallLuke3: I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come over for dinner tonight. My moms cafe has been running slow because of the colder weather so we have a ton of extra food. I figured I would save you from your parents fighting. What do you say?

NScott23: I say it sounds like a definite plan. Let me just run it by my mom quick. I'm sure it will be fine though. Can you hold on a sec?

BBallLuke3: Yup, I'll wait here. Hurry up slow poke!

NScott23: Ha...I'll be right back.

Nathan ran down the stairs to the den where his mom was reading.

"Hey Mom."

"Nathan, you're out of breath. Is something the matter?"

"Oh no Mom, I'm fine. I was just wondering if I could go over to Luke's for dinner. Karen's Cafe has been having some slow business so they have tons of food left over and Luke thought maybe I would want to come over. Is that okay?"

"Oh" Deb Scott said as she put down her book. She was looking forward to talking with her son at dinner but she decided to just let him go. "Sure sweetie, go ahead and go. Just don't get home too late, okay?"

"Thanks Mom!" Nathan said as he ran back up the stairs to his bedroom.

NScott23: Okay, I'm back and I have an answer for you.

BBallLuke3: And the answer is...

NScott23: I'll be there at 7

BBallLuke3: Sounds good to me. My mom will be happy. I know she doesn't want to have to eat leftovers for a month and you coming over will definitely help solve that problem.

NScott23: Ha, anyway I can help!

BBallLuke3: So what are you up to?

NScott23: Actually, I'm kind of thinking of Haley.

BBallLuke3: Dude, you are so falling for her and you have never even met her.

NScott23: I know, isn't it terrible? It's just...she left me hanging in her last letter about how she had to tell me something really important. Plus, she seems like such a wholesome girl. I love the fact that a girl like her sees something in a guy like me. I mean look at me, I may be good to look at but it's not like I'm a good student and I have an awful home life. It's kind of nice, knowing that a smart girl like her at least likes talking to me.

BBallLuke3: Way to be cocky about your looks, Nate!

NScott23: Ha

BBallLuke3: Nate, you don't give yourself enough credit. You are a smart kid and you make pretty good decisions. Unfortunately, you don't have the best set of parents.

NScott23: Thanks Luke.

BBallLuke3: No problem! I better go help my mom set the table for dinner. See you in an hour!

NScott23: Good deal! See you later!

------------

"Ms. Roe, that was an incredible dinner. Thank you so much for allowing me to share it with you and Luke."

"Oh Nathan, you are always welcome to come over her for dinner and I'm glad you liked it!"

"So are you glad finals are over Nathan? I know Lucas here is glad that they are all done with."

"Yeah, finals are always like the dreaded time of the year for me. Considering I'm not the best student in the world and with my awful test taking skills, finals are beyond awful for me" Nathan said with a little anger in his voice. He really did hate finals. How could they judge how smart you were for one semester by one stupid test?

"I'm sorry, Nathan" Karen said with a small smile on her face. She always made sure that she treated Nathan as if he were his own son. She knew how Dan treated him at home. She felt bad for Nathan and Deb, as she knew how controlling Dan had become. She felt lucky that she was able to get away from him before Lucas was born. Since Dan had left her before Lucas was born, she had to take care of Lucas all by her lonesome. Fortunately for her, she had one of the best relationships with her son. They were best friends, something a mother would only wish for with their teenage son. Karen finally snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Lucas calling her name.

"Mom, are you still with us?"

"Yeah, I'm still here" Karen said with a grin on her face. "I was just thinking of how lucky I am to have you in my life, Luke and you as well Nathan."

"Thanks Ms. Roe."

"I sure am a great son, aren't I Mom?

"Way to be modest Luke" Nathan said with a laugh.

"Yeah, you are a great son with a big ego!" Karen said while laughing.

The rest of the dinner included them discussing what was going on with them in the coming weeks with basketball and school. By the end of the dinner, they all had huge smiles on their faces. Nathan loved coming over to Karen's Cafe for dinner and Karen definitely made him feel right at home.

----------

As Nathan walked home from the cafe, he noticed that it was still bright enough for a little basketball at the rivercourt. Even though it was almost the end of January and he could see every single exhale he made, he still wanted to play a little bit. He went over to the bush, by the river, where he and Luke hid their basketball that they played with. He pulled it out from underneath the bush and put in his earphones, connected to his iPod. For the next hour and a half, he played basketball underneath the stars and while he was playing, he wondered if Haley was doing the exact same thing.


	12. Unexpected Change of Events

**Chapter Twelve: Unexpected Change of Events**

Nathan and Lucas entered their English room tiredly on Monday morning. They had been up til 12 o'clock chatting on the phone about the upcoming basketball games. Plus, they thought they had an exam on _To Kill a Mockingbird_, the book they had just finished reading in class. All in all, this day seemed to be going down hill. Nathan only hoped that Mr. Rival would all of a sudden become a really cool teacher and let them write their pen pals letters instead. Lucky for Nathan, Mr. Rival decided to become that cool teacher after all.

"Class, I have some sad news to report to you. Actually, probably more sad news for me and happier news for you. The copier has broke in the main office which means your tests aren't ready to be taken yet."

The students all of a sudden became very chatty. They had huge smiles on their faces and made sure they didn't hide their enthusiasm in front of Mr. Rival.

"Well I'm glad you're all saddened by this" Mr. Rival said while laughing. "On the plus side, I have decided to have you write to your pen pals instead. I have been talking to my friend, Mrs. Sonat, about this whole project. We have decided that we will end this assignment at the end of March. Their school year actually ends at the beginning of June but since ours ends early May, I decided it would be best if we ended this in March. That way, I can still have you read one more book and sneak in one extra test for finals."

The class all gave him frowns, making sure he knew their disappointment in the remark he had just made.

"Don't whine and complain. I'm sure you will like the book we will be reading. So about the letters. Since it is almost the end of January that means that you have only two more months to write letters to your pen pals. Make sure you tell them everything you want to because you only have two to three more letters to write to them. Oh and one more thing. Mrs. Sonat and I have been discussing this and we think this might be a good idea. We figured that since this pen pal project has been enjoyed by all of you, that we would offer you the opportunity to continue writing to your pen pals after this assignment is over. With that being said, we would have to have consent from both sets of parents and we would also have to have consent from each pen pal. Now everyone doesn't need to do this, it isn't required or anything. However, I am aware that a couple of you have actually become pretty close with your pen pal in Colorado and I think you would like to be able to keep writing to them. So, when you file out of the classroom at the end of the hour, go ahead and come up to my desk and I will add you to the list of names that would like to participate in the extra-curricular activity, so to speak. Okay, that was a lot of talking so now I will allow you all to write."

Nathan had a huge smile on his face, which Lucas noticed. Luke promised himself that he would tease Nathan about that later but for now, he decided to bask in the glow of Nathan being happy.

_Dear Haley,_

_I decided to call you Haley this time since I haven't received a reply from you yet, just in case you didn't like that nickname I gave you. So I must say, I am very disappointed in you leaving me hanging at the end of the letter. How could you do that to me? Haha, I'm just giving you a hard time. I can joke too, can't I? I can't wait to read your next letter so I can find out this big secret of yours. _

_Finals are finally over with for both of us; thank goodness! I'm sure you aren't bothered by them considering your bookworm-esque ways. For me, finals are awful probably because school is so hard for me to pay attention to. I mean, how is knowing what year we sailed the ocean blue really going to help me in the real world? I would rather learn about how to live life outside of high school. They should have a class on how to live life. I would definitely be the first one to sign up. It'd be nice to have knowledgable adults teach us how to handle peer pressure and our problems at home. Like a pamphlet handed out once every year is really going to settle all of the problems we are having in life. Puh-lease. Okay enough with my rantings...can you tell I am a little worked up about this issue?_

_You didn't sound stupid when you were talking about snow. I love watching snow fall to the ground. It may sound girlie for a man to say, but it really is peaceful when you see a blanket of snow on the ground. Alright, back to my manly self! Haha._

_It's time for class to end. Oh and Mr. Rival said that we could sign up to continue writing letters to each other after this assignment is over. If you don't mind, I would like to sign up. If for some reason, you don't want to continue writing, that's okay. I'm just letting you know in advance that I would really like to write to keep writing to you. Don't forget to tell me that secret!_

_Nathan_

----------

Two weeks later, it was time for Haley to write back to Nathan. She had read his letter about two days ago when Mrs. Sonat accidently handed them out early. She felt kind of bad for leaving Nathan out of the know. She also felt very flattered that he wanted to continue writing to her. Luckily for him, he would be able to do a lot more than write to her come May.

_Dear Nate,_

_I love the fact that you gave me the nickname Hales. You know why? Actually, that's what a lot of students call me at school. What a funny coincidence! You can keep calling me Hales, if you would like. Haley also works well. Enough about my name and time to respond to your letter._

_I'm so sorry that finals didn't turn out well for you. I do agree with you on having a class about how to life life. Personally, I can't complain about the brochures because I have never received one. Instead, we are graced with the presence of a public speaker at the beginning of the school year. Usually it's some lame guy who is getting paid way too much money to give us some power point presentation on information we already know. Now I'm starting to rant, hehe._

_Now, I am going to ask you one thing before I share with you the next bit of information. Take a deep breath. Did you take a deep breath? Okay good. It is now time to reveal my big secret. I can't continue writing to you after this project. It's not that I don't want to or anything, I just won't be able to unless you would like to send a letter to a house roughly two blocks away. That's right Nathan, if you understood what I just said, you probably have a ton of questions running through your head because you just figured out that I will be moving to Tree Hill. _

_As you know, my dad has been having some problems with his job and concidently he was given a job about thirty minutes from downtown Tree Hill. How crazy is that? Oh gosh, I hope you are at least slightly happy about this. Just let me know what you think about this in your next letter. I am really curious on how you have reacted to this._

_Haley_


	13. There's a Bug in My Envelope

**_Author's Note_**: _Thank you so very much to everyone who has been reading and responding to this story of mine! I really enjoy reading feedback from you all! I already have a lot of this story written and I can tell you that the chapters do get a lot longer. Again, thank you so much for your reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

**Chapter Thirteen: There's a Bug in my Envelope**

Haley decided to have her mom pick her up after school. It was the middle of February and winter was hitting Denver in full force. There was a brisk wind that hit Haley's cheeks as she waited for her mom outside the entrance of Oakton High School. The snow was starting to pick up and Haley was starting to think that it would actually be nice not to have to have this weather the upcoming winter, considering she would be in North Carolina. She finally say her mom's expedition drive into the parking lot. She ran to the front passenger seat door and slammed the door once she got in.

"Hello Haley! How was your day at school?"

"Not bad, Mom. School has actually been kind of dragging lately. Everyone is kind of in bad spirits because of the depressing blizzard-like weather we have been having lately. So, the teachers haven't really been too motivated to give us any exciting projects. I think I'm probably the only student in the whole school complaining about not receiving extra school work. I sure am a weirdo, huh?"

"Oh Haley, you are far from a weirdo. You just love to learn. There is nothing wrong with that!" Mrs. James said assuringly.

"Thanks Mom. Did you and Dad finally pick a house that we are going to live in? I know you were debating between two different houses."

"Yes, I am glad you asked. We are going to be living in a two story colonial type house. It will have four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, and two car garage. I think it will accomodate us very well."

"Woah, that's bigger than the house we have here!"

"I know, I know! It turns out that houses in Tree Hill are more affordable than the ones in Denver. Go figure! Plus, your father said that this new firm he will be working at has a higher wage than the one he is at now. Everything seems to be falling into place perfectly."

"That's great Mom. I'm glad this is all working out well. Now all I hope is that Nathan will still want to talk to me after he reads my letter."

"You told him already, huh?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to keep it from him. I guess all we have to do is hope."

"I'm sure he'll be excited."

"Yeah" Haley said quietly while looking out the window. She decided to leave the conversation at that and continued to watch the blizzard outside the car window that was getting stronger by every hour.

------------

"Here are your letters from your pen pals. Don't forget, you probably only have one more letter to write if you aren't going to continue writing, so make sure you tell them everything you want to. We probably won't have time to respond to their letters today so we will write tomorrow. All you have to do today is read the letters." Mr. Rival explained.

He continued to pass out the letters dropping Haley's letter on Nathan's desk.

Nathan began to read the letter Haley had written him. He thought it was pretty funny that he had starting calling her the nickname that her friends called her. He came upon the last part of the letter. He noticed that she said for him to take a deep breath, so he did.

"Nate" Lucas whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What's with the deep breath? You okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm about to read Haley's secret. She told me to take a deep breath."

"Haha, okay."

Nathan began reading the last couple of sentences and his eyes began to widen. Did he just read what he thought he read? He read the last paragraph once more over and then couldn't contain himself any longer.

"OH MY GOSH!" Nathan exclaimed, not aware that he had just disrupted the whole class.

"Mr. Scott, something the matter?" Mr. Rival said looking up from the papers he was grading.

"Oh..um..." Nathan was trying to stall thinking of what to say. He was definitely getting weird looks from his classmates. "Um...there was a bug...yeah, a bug...in the envelope. It just scared me that's all."

His classmates began to giggle which stopped abruptly once Nathan gave them an angry glare.

"Okay..." Mr. Rival said tentatively. There was no way that their was a live bug in that envelope of his. He figured he was reacting to something in the letter but he didn't want his classmates to know what. He let the disruption slide and turned back to grading his papers.

------------

After class, Lucas pulled Nathan aside to his locker. He had to know what was in that letter from Haley.

"There is no way that there was a bug in that envelope. You have got to tell me what was in that letter" Lucas said excitedly.

"Luke, you can not tell anyone. You have to promise."

"I promise. Now stop stalling and tell me what she wrote."

"Dude, she's moving to Tree Hill!" Nathan said with the biggest grin on his face.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"No, I'm not. Her dad's current job transferred him to a job thirty minutes away. She is going to be in school with us next year. I my gosh! This is so great!" Nathan said almost giddy with excitement.

"Nate, this is the best news I've heard from you in a long time. Look at you! You look like you just one a Ferari or something."

"I know man. I just can't believe it! I'm practically lost for words" Nathan said as he looked at the clock. "And almost late for biology. I better go! We will continue with this conversation later!"

"Alright, Nate. Talk to you soon!" Lucas said. He was so happy for his little brother. This pen pal project really did turn into something meaningful for Nathan. Personally, he couldn't wait to meet this Haley girl. She seemed to be quite the catch.


	14. The Long Awaited Response

**Chapter Fourteen: The Long Awaited Response**

Haley had been waiting two weeks for Nathan's infamous letter to come. She had been constantly racking her brain with bad thoughts. She had no idea how Nathan would react. What if she was way more excited than he was? Haley was beginning to think that telling him in that letter was one of the biggest mistakes she had made in a long time. As she kept coming up with scenario, after scenario as how Nathan would act, she heard her cell phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Hales, it's me! Your one and only best friend in the world!"

"Theresa, you are way too hyper for it being 7 o'clock in the morning" Haley said groogily.

"You are never a morning person, Haley. For once, I need you to at least pretend that you are somewhat in an upbeat mood."

"Okay, how is this?" Haley said. She began to speak in a really high-pitched, annoying voice. "Hey Theresa! What is up with you? Did you have three frappachinos this morning, just like I'm pretending I have had!"

"Thank you! Much better. Now, can I get to the question I was going to ask you?"

"Haha, sure Theresa. What's up?"

"Well, I know this is kind of the big day."

"What do you mean, the big day?"

"Please Haley, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Today is the day that you will receive Nathan's letter."

"I know" Haley said solemnly.

"Well, what do you think he is going to say?"

"I have no idea. A part of me thinks he will be estatic and then the other half of me thinks he will be angry with me and decide not to talk to me anymore."

"Haley, we both know that he is going to be so excited to see you when you get there. I'm sure he wouldn't just lie in his letters about how much he enjoyed writing to you. Guys don't just say that to girls to make them like them. Well, actually, some do...but he really seems to be one of the good ones, Hales. I wouldn't think too much into it. I'm sure all will work well in the end. You just gotta have a little faith!"

"You are quite the optimistic one. You do know that, right?" Haley said witha smile on her face.

"I sure do Haley James! Okay, time to go catch the bus. See you at my locker in about a half an hour?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Goodbye Haley James!" Thersa said perkily.

"Haha...bye Theresa!"

------------

Haley had her dad drive her to school this morning. She again had missed the bus. Except this time, it was intentionally. She didn't want to walk into that school any faster than she had to. Finally, Haley had arrived to the old, red bricked building. The lawn was still full of snow from the last blizzard they had had when she wrote the last letter to Nathan. "Nathan! Ugh, why can't I not think of him for like one second of the day" Haley thought to herself. She opened up her locker and pulled out her English notebook and pencil case. She headed to Theresa's locker which was about ten doors down from hers. Afterall, they had first become friends because their lockers were right next to each other's. James and Jenson were pretty close together, alphabetically speaking.

As Haley approached Theresa's locker, the first bell rang. They made eye contact and headed to English.

"Haley, are you okay? You're looking a little pale" Theresa said with a concerned look on her face. She knew how agonizing the past two weeks had been for her best friend. She wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone, even her worst enemy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go to class, k?"

"Okay."

The rest of the walk was a quiet one. They both kept to themselves. Theresa made a couple of glances at Haley here and there just to make sure she was going to be okay. It was her best friend after all. She wanted to make sure she was okay. They walked into the room and took their seats in the first and second rows. Haley always insisted of sitting at the desk, by the door of the classroom, at the head of the row. Theresa had no choice but to sit next to her in the following row, even though she liked the back of the classroom much, much more.

"Good morning everyone! Today is the day that you will be receiving your pen pal's letters. I wanted to make you aware of the fact that the next letter you write to your pen pal will be your last. Make sure you say goodbye unless you have decided to continue with the letters outside of school. Okay, I will begin to pass out the letters. Oh...please sit quietly for the rest of the hour as you read and write. I will allow headphones because I know for some of you, it is easier to write with music in your ears. I have no idea why but I have accepted the fact and have moved on" Mrs. Sonat said jokingly. "Have fun!"

Haley felt like it took forever for Mrs. Sonat to pass out the letters in class. Why couldn't she walk faster? She finally saw a crisp looking envelope land on her desk. Mrs. Sonat gave her a smile and continued to pass out the letters. "This is it" she thought to herself. She opened the envelope slowly and pulled out the letter. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She began to read the letter and the smile on her face continued to grow as she read through the letter.

_Dear Hales,_

_I have decided to call you Hales now, considering I call you a friend and I think you call me a friend too. Okay...so for your big announcement. I figure you want my reaction to that infamous letter of yours. So here goes nothing...I AM SO EXCITED THAT YOU ARE COMING TO TREE HILL!_

_How was that? A little too overdone? Hales, you have no idea how glad I am that you will be living here in a couple of months. I have never, ever had a friend like you who I can tell personal things to. I trust you so much and it will be so nice to have someone to confide to in person, instead of writing to on a piece of paper. You just have to make sure you come see me the second you come into town. I can't wait to meet you in person. But how will we recognize each other, you ask? Simple...I shall describe to you what I look like. There is no one more handsome than me in this town so it probably won't be too hard to point me out from all the others. Haha...all joking aside, this is what I look like. I am about 6 feet tall, dark brown hair, blue eyes, pale skin. Also, I am usually carrying either a basketball or iPod in my hands. So, that narrows down the selection you have to choose from to about two people. The other person would be my brother and we look exactly nothing alike. But, I will tell you that story when you come here. I've decided to pay you back a little bit since you left me hanging in that other letter of yours!_

_Remember when I told you I had to study for that killer history test after writing your letter? I actually got a B- on it. Maybe I should write to you everytime I have to take a test now. You're like my good luck charm. Alright, time to go. Mr. Rival is giving me this weird look because I have my headphones in. Eekk...are they a little more laid back on that policy in Denver? Alrighty, talk to you soon...actually...see you soon. How great is that?_

_Nathan_

------------

Haley pulled out her iPod from her bookbag and put the headphones in her ears. She scrolled to the song she wanted to listen to while she wrote to Nathan. She decided to listen to The Luckiest by Ben Folds. She picked up the mechanical pencil on her desk and opened up her notebook. She decided to leave the letter to Nathan as brief as possible but with as much meaning put into it as possible. Quick to the point, she thought.

_Dear Nate,_

_Yes, we are allowed to listen to music when it's quiet time during the class hour. Thanks for leaving me hanging about the situation with your brother. I suppose I was in for it anyway. You described yourself in the letter you sent me so this is what I look like. I am about 5'4", much shorter than you! I have brownish/blonde hair which goes past my shoulders. I have pale skin, as well, and have hazel eyes. I am often found carrying a book or journal, too._

_Have you noticed that I have made this letter quiet brief? I thought maybe I would save everything that I wanted to tell you when we first met! So...adios for the last time from Colorado. I will see you in a couple of weeks! Oh...I will be arriving the last week of April, I'm not sure what day yet. I'll try to find you! I'm sure we'll see each other eventually._

_Hales, formally known as "Haley" until HotShot Basketball Player changed my name_

_P.S. I'm really glad you're happy about me moving there. I can't wait to meet you in person._


	15. Saying Goodbye to Home

**Chapter Fifteen: Saying Goodbye to Home**

The week before moving day was finally upon Haley. It was beginning to hit her that she would be leaving the place she had called home for the past 15 years. Denver held a special place in her heart, one that she could never replace. Mrs. James had insisted on Haley packing all of her room up today, that way she wouldn't be stressed the day they were supposed to pack the moving truck. Haley decided to have Theresa come and help her out. They wanted to be able to soak up as many moments as possible before Haley had to leave.

"Haley James? Where are you? It looks like a tornado has hit your room?"

"Hey Theresa! I'm over here in the closet. I think I found that retainer I lost when I was nine."

"Oh I remember when you freaked out about losing that. That was not a good week for you, Haley."

"Tell me about it! Well, don't just sit there. Put yourself to work!" Haley said with a smile on her face.

"Okay, what do you want me to do?"

"How about you pack those two boxes, over by the window, with the clothes from the bottom three drawers of my dresser?"

"Sounds good to me! Have you found anything that has made you cry or made you laugh hysterically yet?"

"I have found lots. I shall tell you. I first found the first song lyrics that I had ever written. I know I don't write very often, actually hardly ever, but these were lyrics from the 6th grade. I must have thrown the lyrics behind my board games when I was cleaning my room. They are pretty funny. I suppose that would be my 'laugh hysterically' moment. My 'made me cry' moment would be the picture I found of me and you, when we were about six years old. We were building a snowman in our backyard. We had built a snowman that was like 3 feet tall. It had no eyes or mouth, but we did manage to get the huge carrot in for his nose. I remember that day so vividly. It was freezing cold out and I think I put on three layers of pants at least. Once we got out there though, we sure did have fun" Haley began to shed a small tear. "Oh how I'm going to miss you Theresa."

"Haley...oh Haley. I didn't want you to cry when telling the memory. I feel so bad now. We had such a great time when we built those snowmen. I think a couple of years later, we actually made a snowman like 5 feet tall. That's an accomplishment in itself, considering how short we were!"

Haley began to laugh at Theresa's memory. "Yeah, I remember that. I think we used the recycling bin to stand on, just so we could get the hat on the snowman's head!"

"Haha...yup I believe you're right! I do remember standing on something. We really should have been more careful back then. We could have hurt ourselves."

"I think it's okay, Theresa. We were just livin a little" Haley said with a smile.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I think we need to start telling memories and packing at the same time. If we don't, I think I am going to have a very angry mother in a couple of hours."

"Alright, I'll go start packing up the clothes. If you find any more retainers or song lyrics, just give me a holler!"

"Sounds good to me!" Haley said while laughing.

The rest of the afternoon, Haley and Theresa went through old picture albums remembering everything they could from the times the spent together. They managed to put all of Haley's things into boxes. All she had left to do was move, a day Haley wasn't looking forward to at all.

------------

Moving day had finally arrived for the James family. The moving truck arrived at about 7 o'clock in the morning. The two burly men got out of the truck and started moving their furniture out of the house. Haley watched in amazement as her house got emptier and emptier by each hour. By about 1 o'clock in the afternoon, all of their furniture and boxes had been loaded. Now, was the hard part, saying goodbye. Theresa decided to come by at about 1:30 to say goodbye to Haley, something she definitely wasn't counting the days down to.

"Haley?"

"Theresa, thank goodness you're here. We are just about to take off."

"I got here just in time then, huh?"

"Yeah" Haley said sadly. The girls took each other into each others arms and held each other for what seemed like forever. They were both shedding tears, knowing that this would probably be the last time they ever saw each other. They promised to keep in touch but they both knew it would be hard to do so, knowing they would be living separate lives.

"Haley! Time to go!" Mr. James said.

"Okay" Haley said hesitantly. The girls let go of their embrace and Haley headed towards their car.

"Goodbye Theresa!" Haley said with a small smile, while still shedding some tears.

"Goodbye Haley. Call me when you get there!"

"Don't worry, I will!"

With that, Haley got into the car and began to drive away. Theresa and Haley waved to each other until they couldn't see each other anymore. Haley decided to turn on her iPod and get some sleep. Besides, this drive to Tree Hill would be a long one. She figured she mine as well catch up on some sleep in the process.


	16. The Longest Car Ride Ever

**Chapter Sixteen: The Longest Car Ride Ever**

It was 3 o'clock in the morning when Haley awoke in the car. Her mom was asleep in the front passenger seat and her dad was still driving. The radio was on slightly, making sure not to be too loud to wake up Mrs. James.

"Dad?" Haley said in almost a whisper.

"Haley? What are you doing up?"

"I've been sleeping all afternoon. I had to wake up sometime."

"I suppose you're right. Well, I will have you know that we still have about six to seven hours ahead of us."

"Really? Gosh, Colorado and North Carolina sure are far apart. Remind me why we didn't fly?"

Mr. James began to laugh, "Haley I have told you this before. We can't fly our car from Denver to Tree Hill. So, if you want to be able to be driven to places in Tree Hill, then this is the only way we can do that."

"Alright, alright!" Haley exclaimed. "I guess I will just lay back down and listen to some music."

"Okay, Haley. I'll wake you up when we hit the North Carolina state line!"

"Thanks Dad!"

Even though Haley was laying down, she couldn't fall asleep. She had slept so much the past afternoon, she didn't think she would ever be able to sleep again! She decided that she would prop her pillow under the window so she could look at the stars. The sky was pitch black and there were no clouds in the sky. Haley was able to see the big dipper and little dipper. She noticed how the moon lit up the sky, something she really had never noticed before. She eventually fell back asleep and was awoken by her Dad's voice seven hours later.

"Rise and shine Haley James! We have hit the state line!" Mr. James said in a really perky voice.

"Dad, you'd think after having several children, you would learn how to wake up a teenager so she wouldn't become extremely angry at you!" Haley said in a mocking tone.

"Hey Haley, how about some breakfast?" Mrs. James said.

"Yes! I am absolutely starving. Is there some place around here where we can eat?"

"Yeah, we just saw a sign for an IHOP about a couple miles farther from here. Does that sound good to you, Haley?" Mr. James said.

"That sounds good to me! Let me look at myself in the mirror and make sure I look at least somewhat presentable."

"Please Haley, you don't know anyone around here. It's not like they're going to kick you out of the state just because you have a bad hairdo" Mr. James said.

"Dad, I know. It's a girl thing. Guys don't understand" Haley said with a smile. "Mom, you understand, right?"

"Sure do Haley. Your Dad here just doesn't get all this girl stuff!" Mrs. James said while laughing.

"You know girls, you should treat me better because I am your driver to this lovely new home I just bought you all."

Haley began to laugh. "Dad, you know I love you like crazy! I'm sorry for teasing you!"

"Yes, dear, I am sorry too!"

"Thank you ladies!" Mr. James said giving the girls a smile. "Now, who is ready to eat?"

"Me!" Haley said with a huge smile on her face and her eyes really wide.

The car pulled into the IHOP parking lot and the James family got out. For the next hour, they sat in the small booth and told memories of their old home and their wishes for the new place they were soon to arrive to.

-------------

Several hours later, the James family had arrived in Tree Hill. Haley looked out the window and saw the welcome sign. She realized that this was the place she was going to call home so she mine as well look at all of the scenery. She saw the river and the bridge, which separated the downtown area from the suburb part of town. She noticed the high school that she would be attending in August, too. Mr. James finally drove into the driveway of their home. Their new home was beautiful. The exterior of the house had tan siding and dark green shutters. The one thing she did notice, that didn't make her happy, was that she didn't see a basketball hoop in their driveway.

"Dad?"

"What's up Haley?"

"I don't see a basketball hoop. I thought you said we were going to have one."

"I'm sorry Haley. I guess this house doesn't have a basketball hoop. I will install one tomorrow afternoon. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I just really feel like some exercise. I think I may go down to that Karen's Cafe and grab a sandwich. Then, maybe I'll go walk around town a little bit to see what this corner of the universe has to offer me."

"Alright, have fun Haley!"

"Thanks Dad. Bye Mom!"

"Goodbye Haley! Enjoy exploring this new town!"


	17. A Friendly Hello

_Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I am so glad that you are all enjoying the summer. To answer Halo's question, yes these chapters are prewritten so that is why I am able to update every day or every other day! Again, thank you so much for the reviews. I hope you enjoyed these next to chapters and don't forget to reply! I like reading what you think of the chapters!_

**Chapter Seventeen: A Friendly Hello**

Haley opened the door to Karen's Cafe and she instantly noticed how quaint this little cafe was. The counter had books all around it. Each table had a little candle holder on it, too. There was a blonde haired boy behind the register who looked about Haley's age. There was also a woman, who looked about thirty, who had short dark brown hair. Haley decided to grab a seat at the counter and look at the menu.

"Hi! You look like you're new here" Karen said with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I just got here. Are you the manager here?" Haley said.

"I sure am. You look about my son's age so I mine as well introduce you to each other."

"Oh, alright" Haley said shyly.

"Hey Luke, can you come over here a minute. I want you to introduce you to someone."

Lucas walked over to his mom on the other side of the counter. Haley looked up at him and smiled. Then, he faced his mom.

"I'm assuming this is the young lady you wanted me to be introduced too" Lucas said.

"Yes. She is new here in town and I figured you looked about the same age so I thought I would allow you to say hi. So, this is my son Lucas." Karen looked at Haley and had an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't even ask for your name."

"Oh, my name is Haley. I just moved here from Colorado."

Lucas caught a lump in his throat and swallowed. He realized that he had just met Nathan's Haley. The girl he had been crushing over for the past school year. He decided not to tell her about Nathan unless she asked about him.

"Nice to meet you Haley!" Lucas said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you as well Lucas."

"Actually, you can call me Luke. That's what most of my friends call me."

"Oh okay. Well Luke, would you mind helping me pick a sandwich since I'm new here."

"Sure. I think you would like the chicken salad sandwich. It's my favorite and my mom makes a mean chicken salad sandwich. I highly recommend it!"

"Sounds good to me!" Haley turned her head to Karen, "I'll take one chicken salad sandwich and a water, please."

"Coming right up!" Karen said with a smile.

"Hey Haley, if you don't mind, I actually have to go finish up balancing the register. I'll hopefully see you around though!"

"That's fine, Luke. I'm sure we'll see each other around."

Haley finished her chicken salad sandwich in peace. After she had finished eating, she decided to go sit at the table by the window so she could look at her new surroundings. So far, she really loved what she saw. The people she had met were really nice and she had a pretty good feeling that she would be meeting Nathan soon! She couldn't wait for that!

She decided to go back up to the counter to ask Lucas a question.

"Hey Luke?"

"Yeah Haley?"

"Well, I have been cramped up in the car since yesterday afternoon, which means I need some exercise. I was actually wondering if you knew where the rivercourt was. I figured I would go there tonight and shoot some hoops, when the stars are out."

"Oh yeah, I know where it is" Lucas said smiling. Nathan must have mentioned the rivercourt to her in his letters. "It's across the bridge right by the river. If you go down the road a little bit, you'll see it."

"Okay thanks, Luke! I'm going to get going here. It was a pleasure meeting you. Hopefully we will be able to cross paths again!" Haley said while opening the door.

"It was nice meeting you too, Haley. I'm sure we'll see each other again. It's a pretty small town. See you later"

"Bye" Haley said.

--------------

Lucas decided to give Nathan a heads up on Haley's arrival.

"Nathan?"

"What's up Luke?" Nathan said into the receiver.

"She's here. I met her."

"And..."

"She's planning on going to the rivercourt tonight. Just thought I would let you know."

"Awesome! I'll be there. Thanks for letting me know. Talk to you later!"

"Bye!" Lucas said and then hung up the phone.

-------------

Haley decided to walk around a little bit and then walked back home. She rearranged her furniture in her bedroom and put her pictures, from home, on the walls. She was able to unpack all of her clothes and put them into their appropriate drawers before her Mom called her for dinner. Mr. James had come home with a pizza, which definitely satisfied Haley's hunger. After dinner, Haley decided it was time to go play some basketball. She didn't think Nathan would be there, so she threw on her basketball shorts and old University of Colorado t-shirt. She grabbed her iPod and basketball and headed out the door, telling her parents where she would be.

She arrived at the rivercourt and it was everything she had imagined. The downtown area was lit up beautifully, which she could see from across the river. The court had two lights that illuminated each end of the court. The hoops were a little damaged, but they were still good enough to play with. It was absolutely gorgeous. "Nathan was right about playing here at night!" she thought to herself. She began to play basketball. The hoop was about a foot higher than the one she had in Denver, so she was still adjusting. She was making about 65 of the shots she was shooting, which was pretty good by her standards. As she went to go pick up the ball by the picnic table, she heard another basketball bouncing. She heard footsteps coming closer and closer to her, until they were about six feet behind her.

Haley turned around and saw a tall, muscular, blue-eyed, young man who looked just like Nathan had described himself.

"Hi Haley" Nathan said quietly.

"Nathan..." Haley said under her breath with a smile on her face.


	18. Meeting at the River Court

**_Author's Note:_ **_Hi everyone. I wanted to thank all of you so very much for the nice comments that you have left me. I am so glad that you are all enjoying this story because I have adored writing all of these chapters for you. I apologize for forgetting to tell you this earlier ( I forgot to change it in the beginning of the story), but I actually changed the ages of all of the characters to incoming juniors instead of incoming sophomores. I decided that I wanted them to be older and that way I can have them drive around and whatnot. I am sorry for the sudden change of ages. I should have changed it in my first couple of chapters when I mention their ages but I forgot before I posted them. Now, I amnot sure how to change the chapters, on here, that I have already posted. If maybe you could all do me a favor and mention in your review that you are aware of the age change, just so I know that you all have read this and that way I don't have to mention it in my next update. Again, I am quite sorry for this change_.

**Chapter Eighteen: Meeting at the River Court**

Haley stared into Nathan's blue eyes. They were beautiful. Nathan and Haley stood six feet from each other, staring at each other, not knowing what to say. Finally, Haley decided to break the silence.

"It's nice to meet you Nathan"

Nathan smiled and said, "Hales, I told you, you can call me Nate."

"I know. It's just...I've never met you before, except in our letters, and I don't really know what to do right now. I figured maybe you would want me to call you Nathan."

"Nope, you're my friend Hales, I want you to call me Nate."

Haley walked towards him until she was about two feet from him.

"Alright, I'll call you Nate then."

"Good!" he said. "So, how was your drive here? Long?"

"It was beyond long. It was an awful car ride. Fortunately, I caught up on some much needed sleep. I don't think I've ever slept so much in my life. When I wasn't sleeping, I was looking out the window of the car, often times at night, so I could see the stars."

"Sounds like a long trip but at least you got some star gazing out of it."

"Yeah!" Haley said. "Can I ask you something, Nate?"

"Sure Haley, what is it?"

"How did you know I was here? I've only been here a couple of hours and I didn't even tell you what day I would be coming into town. Plus, I think it's just kind of funny that you would find me here, at the rivercourt."

"My brother Lucas told me."

"Lucas is your brother?"

"Yup"

"Woah, I did not expect that. Was that your mom who was running the cafe too?"

"Nope, that's Lucas mom. We have different moms but the same dad. It's all kind of screwed up. Remember how I told you how I would tell you about my family once you got here?"

"Yeah, I remember you saying that in one of your last letters."

"Well, you're here now. Do you want to hear the story?"

"Sure."

Nathan grabbed Haley's hand and walked her over to the picnic table. Haley looked at their hands and smiled. Their hands fit perfectly. She could feel an electricity between them and they had only just met. They sat down across from each other and Nathan began to tell Haley what had happened with his family.

"When I was in elementary school, Lucas and I hated each other. We were aware that we had the same dad but we didn't really know the whole story behind it. I dispised him because he didn't have to live with our dad. My dad is a huge and I mean huge control freak. I hated the fact that Lucas didn't have to live at home with him. Actually, I was jealous that he didn't even have to know him. Lucas, on the other hand, was jealous that he didn't have a dad at all."

"It sounds like you both didn't get what you want."

"Yeah, we didn't. When we were in junior high, we found out that my dad had left Lucas' mom when he found out she was pregnant. Three months later, my dad had gotten my mom pregnant. My mom and dad got married during college and have been together ever since, even though I think they have had enough with each other."

"Woah...your Dad doesn't sound like such a great guy, no offense."

"None taken. He's a definite scumbag in my book. In the middle of seveth grade, Lucas and I were put on the same basketball team. We were forced to get along and then began to realize that we really enjoyed each other's company. At the beginning of eighth grade, we decided that we should call each other brothers, considering we were. Ever since, we have been really close. He has begun to realize that our Dad is not that great after all and Lucas' mom, Karen, has almost taken me in as her other son. She's practically like my second mom. Unfortunately, our Dad hates the fact that we get along. He has always wanted us to be enemies, probably so he doesn't have to face all of the mistakes he has made in the past. So, there's my life story in a nutshell" Nathan said with a laugh.

"An interesting one at that. Wow, I don't even know what to say Nate. I feel so bad that you have such a crappy father but I am glad that you have a friend and brother like Lucas to confide in."

"Yeah...I guess it all worked out in the end."

"Yeah" Haley said.

"Is it just me, or is getting colder out here?" Haley said.

"Yeah, it is. Do you want me to walk you home?" Nathan asked politely.

"I would like that very much, Nathan. Lets go."

Nathan took Haley's hand in his and began to walk into Haley's neighborhood. He could tell that this relationship with Haley was going to be very meaningful one. He couldn't wait to get to know her more. They finally arrived at Haley's front steps.

"It was really nice finally being able to meet you Haley."

"It was nice meeting you too, Nathan. Can I ask you something else?"

"Sure" Nathan said curiously.

"Would you like to do something with me tomorrow?"

"I would definitely like to see you tomorrow. I have an idea. Would you like to meet the people I hang out with on a daily basis? I'm sure you would get along really well with them."

"Yeah, sure Nate. That sounds good to me. Alright, I'm going to go inside."

"Okay. I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon. We'll go out to lunch and then meet up with the gang."

"Sounds good to me. Goodnight Nathan."

"Goodnight Haley!"

Nathan continued on his way home. He couldn't believe this was happening. As he walked home, all he could think about was Haley and how beautiful she was. Inside her bedroom, Haley was thinking about Nathan and how sweet he was to her. They both knew that they would remember this evening for the rest of their lives.


	19. New Friends and Old Friends

**Chapter Nineteen: New Friends and Old Friends**

Haley woke up at 8 o'clock the next morning. She wanted to sleep in until 10 but couldn't because her stomach had butterflies flying inside it. She was really nervous about meeting up with Nathan and his friends. She wanted to get along with them so badly, that way her and Nathan could get closer.

On the other side of town, Nathan was already planning the day he was going to have with Haley. He decided that they would have a picnic at the rivercourt, knowing that's where she would be most comfortable at. He grabbed some take-out sandwiches from Karen's Cafe, some bottled water, and then began to walk to Haley's new home. He had planned for his friends to arrive at the rivercourt around 1:30. That way, him and Haley would have at least an hour of alone time to get to know each other better. He arrived to Haley's home promptly at noon. He rang the doorbell and Haley answered the door. She was wearing a simple black t-shirt, jeans, and black flip-flops. He didn't realize that he was staring at her, but she did.

"Nathan?"

"Oh...yeah...sorry, Hi!" Nathan said.

"Hello!"

"Are you ready to go, Haley?"

"Yup, just as ready as you are. Should we get going?"

"Yeah!" Nathan said.

They walked down Haley's front steps and began to walk towards the rivercourt. Haley had no idea where they were headed but she figured Nathan had planned everything out.

"So where are we going this afternoon, Nathan?"

"Okay, well, I figured we would eat a picnic lunch at the rivercourt."

"Oh Nate, that sounds so nice" Haley said while smiling.

"Then, my friends will meet us at the rivercourt and we will walk around town and show you where everything is. I figured I would just make it as relaxing as possible for you. How does my plan sound?"

"It sounds absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to meet everyone" Haley said.

They arrived at the rivercourt and Nathan pulled out the sandwiches. He bought a turkey, ham, and cheddar cheese sandwich for Haley and a tuna salad sandwich for himself. They ate their sandwiches while talking about basketball, movies, and music. Haley learned that Nathan loved rap and hip-hop music and his favorite movies were comedies. Nathan wasn't too surprised when Haley told him that her favorite movies were the romantic comedies and that her favorite music was pop and folk/acoustic. As they finished up their meals, Haley noticed Lucas walking towards them along with two other boys and two girls. They walked up to their table and Nathan began to introduce everyone to Haley.

"Haley, this is my group of friends that I hang out regularly with. I'll go from left to right. First, there is Mouth, who was first friends with Lucas and then when Lucas and I met, Mouth and I became good friends."

"Hey Haley. It's nice to meet you" Mouth said warmly.

"Hello Mouth!" Haley said.

"Next, there is Jake and Peyton. Jake is on the basketball team with Lucas and I, and Peyton is a cheerleader. They have been dating since the beginning of freshman year, that's why I'm linking them together."

"What's up Haley!" Peyton said perkily.

"Nice to meet you!' Jake said.

"Okay, last but not least, there is Brooke. The perky leader of our little group. She is a cheerleader, just like Peyton. She and I have been friends for a long time. Also, her and Lucas just began dating about two months ago."

"Hi Haley!" Brooke said with a big smile on her face.

"Hello Brooke. You know, I think you had my best friend Theresa as a pen pal."

"Of course! Theresa and I were such close friends while writing. She is such a sweet girl."

"Yeah, she really is" Haley said, realizing that she hadn't talked to her best friend in a couple of days. She promised herself that she would call Theresa once she got home this evening.

"Alright guys, should we go?" Lucas exclaimed.

"Yup!" they all said at once.

With that, they all walked off the rivercourt and into the downtown area. Brooke and Lucas walked together hand in hand, as did Peyton and Jake, during the whole walk downtown. Nathan and Haley walked right next to each other, often stealing quick glances at each other to make sure they were content. Nathan wanted to so badly hold Haley's hand but he figured he would wait until they went out by themselves. He didn't want to make Haley uncomfortable by any means. They showed Haley the high school, the library, TRIC (the local music club), and some good restaurants.

After walking around town for two hours, the group finally all said goodbye to each other. Haley had had a wonderful time with all of Nathan's friends. She was beginning to think that she was going to have very many close friends here in Tree Hill. Everyone was so nice. It surprised her too because she usually didn't socialize with basketball players and cheerleaders, but they were all accepting people. Haley decided to just go with the flow and everything turned out well. Nathan walked Haley to her front door once again. They stopped in front of her front door so they could talk for a couple of minutes.

"Hey Haley. Can I ask you something?" Nathan said.

"Sure, go ahead, what's up?" haley said curiously.

"I was just wondering if maybe you would go out on a real date with me, just by ourselves. I've really enjoyed getting to know you in the letters and now I would like to get to know you more, now that we know each other in person."

"Nate, I would really enjoy going out on a date with you. When would you like to go out?"

"How does tomorrow evening sound, at about 7 o'clock?"

"Perfect. I will see you then Nate."

"Bye Haley!"

Haley closed the door and leaned up against it. She had a huge smile on her face. She was so excited that Nathan had just asked her out on her date. She had to figure out what she was going to wear! Then, she remembered that she had to call Theresa. "Theresa is going to be so excited for me!" Haley thought.

She walked up the stairs and into her room. She grabbed her cell phone out of her purse and layed down on her bed. She dialed Theresa's number and waited for her to pick-up. Finally, she answered.

"Haley!" Theresa yelled.

"Theresa!" Haley screamed.

(Their phones showed who was calling, that's how they knew who was calling.)

"I am so glad you called, Hales! I've been wandering what you have been up to in North Carolina!"

"Theresa, to be honest with you, I'm loving it here! I met Nathan last night and he is the sweetest guy in the world. We met at the rivercourt last night and then he took me out with his friends this afternoon, that way I could get to know more people."

"Haley, that's so great. It sounds like you're fitting in quite well. So, Nathan's a sweetheart, eh?"

"He really is. Plus, he's absolutely gorgeous. And get this Theresa...he asked me out just about 10 minutes ago! AHHH!"

"AHH!" Theresa screamed into the phone. "You are so lucky! I told you you would end up together!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves Theresa!" Haley said jokingly.

"Okay, sorry! I'm just so happy for you! What are you going to wear?"

"I don't know! This is such a hard decision. I want to look sophisticated and cute at the same time. You have to help me pick out my outfit, Theresa! You practically picked out half of my wardrobe!"

"Yes, I did pick out that closet of yours! Let me think!"

Theresa and Haley decided on Haley wearing her jean skirt, dark green tank top, jean jacket, and flip flops. After they decided on Haley's outfit, they talked about how school was ending for Theresa. Haley and Theresa spent the next two hours reminiscing and telling each other what was going on in their lives. They were both so glad that they could still talk to each other about anything and everything.


	20. I Was Hoping You'd Be Here

**Chapter Twenty: I Was Hoping You'd Be Here**

When Nathan got home from his day with Haley and his friends, his parents were already fighting in their master bedroom. He couldn't quite make-out what they were arguing about, but did it really matter anyway? They were always fighting about the same things...how unhappy they were and how they were mistreating each other. He didn't understand why they didn't just stop fighting; it was starting to get a little ridiculous. He decided to go up to his room and turn on the stereo. He figured they would stop yelling once they heard the radio playing. He turned the radio onto the hip-hop station and put the volume on one of the loudest settings. Even if his parents didn't stop screaming at each other, at least he could drown them out for a little bit. He turned on his television and Nintendo Game Cube and began to play a basketball game. He became so zoned on his game that he didn't realize that his mom was standing in his doorway.

"Nate sweetie, can I talk to you?" Deb Scott said with tears running down her cheeks.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. I just wanted to know how you were doing. I haven't been able to talk to you for a while and I wanted to know how your life was going."

"Oh, well I'm doing okay. My pen pal from Colorado, Haley, just moved here actually. I took her out with Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Mouth, and Jake today, showed her around town. Then, I asked her out on a date. So, things are pretty much looking up in my life. Plus, it's nice that school is out...that always makes me feel more relaxed."

"Well that's good honey. I'm glad that things are going well for you. Maybe you could bring Haley around sometime. It would be nice to meet her!"

"Yeah Mom, I'm sure you guys will meet sooner or later. Hey Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Nate, anything."

"Mom, why are you and Dad still together when you fight all of the time and I mean all of the time. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to hear you yell non-stop?"

"Oh Nate, we try not to fight when you are around. Honestly, your father can be the guy I fell in love with many years ago. Lately, he has been having some personality changes and I don't know how to deal with him. I promised myself in front of family that I would love this man until the day I die. So, I don't want to give up on this marriage when the going gets tough. But...if he begins to get worse and we continue to keep fighting like we have been, then I am going to ask for a divorce. I don't want to put you through any emotional pain Nathan. I hope you know that. And I know that this is hard for you, I can't even imagine. I am trying to hold on for dear life but I have a feeling it's about time to let the reigns go loose."

"Mom..." Nathan said quietly.

"Yes Nathan?"

"I want you to let the reigns go loose."

"Nathan..." Deb said.

"No Mom...we both don't deserve how he treats us. Now, I know since I'm your son, I'm really not supposed to do this, because who wants their parents to get divorced? I want you and dad to start going to counseling or something to that effect or go get some divorce papers."

"Alright Nathan. You have a good idea there. I don't think your dad will be quite keen on that idea but I will try my best. I'm sorry that you have to go through this Nathan. I really am."

"I know Mom."

"I think I will leave you be now. I'll call you down for dinner when it is time to eat."

"Okay Mom."

Nathan continued to play his Game Cube. He sat in his room for the next hour listening to music and trying to get a grasp of how screwed up his home life was. His parents always used to be the happy couple that everyone wanted to be like. Sure, they had their differences but they always seemed to work things out. Lately though, everything was just a huge mess and he didn't even want to think about what would happen if they got a divorce. He could just imagine how big a the custody battle for him would be. His mother snapped him out of his thoughts when she called him down to dinner. Just like every other week night, Dan was late for dinner so it was just mom and son. They had a simple meal including steaks, potatoes, and bread.

After dinner, Nathan retired to his room. He was contemplating if he should call Haley and then he remembered that he didn't have her cell phone number, which meant he couldn't call her. He decided that he would go to the river court for the rest of the evening. Playing basketball at night always seemed to clear his head from whatever was bothering him. He told Deb that he was leaving and closed the door.

When he arrived at the river court, he saw a familiar petite figure already playing. He smiled and began to walk towards her.

"I was hoping you would be here" Nathan said softly.

"I was hoping the same thing, actually" Haley said quietly as she began to walk towards him.

"Do you mind if I join you for a game, Mr. Scott?"

"I would love for you to join me, Ms. James."

Nathan grabbed the basketball from behind the bush that he and Lucas hid it at and began to shoot. Haley just watched him, mesmerized. She couldn't stop looking at him. He looked so strong and powerful when he was playing. Plus, he made it look so effortless. He had definitely found the perfect hobby for himself.

"Hey Haley, are you okay? You're just kind of standing at there, staring at me, which is fine by the way, because I know I'm just so gorgeous and all..."Nathan said jokingly, "but really, is there something wrong?"

"Nathan...first of all, I am fine. Second of all, I actually was staring at you, which is pretty embarrassing, but you are really, really good at basketball."

"I'm glad you're okay and thank you for complementing me on my basketball skills. I try to work on them a lot. I absolutely love this game, if you can't tell. Especially, when my parents get in huge fights, like tonight for example, it's just really nice to have something to run away to."

"What happened Nathan?" Haley said as she walked up to Nathan, took his hand, and walked him over to the picnic table.

"My parents were fighting when I got home from our day out. I couldn't tell what they were fighting about but it definitely wasn't about happy stuff. Later on, my mom came into my room with tears rolling down her cheeks, lying to me that everything was okay. I told her at the end of the conversation that I wanted them to either go to counseling or get a divorce. I just can't take it anymore, Hales. They fight all of the time. It gets draining after a while."

"Nathan..." Haley said quietly. "I am so, so sorry that this is happening to you right now. I wish there was some way I could help."

"You're already helping, Haley."

"How am I helping Nathan?" Haley said curiously.

"You're just being there for me. I've never had someone to talk to about this stuff, besides Lucas. Even then, it's still kind of hard to talk to him about Dan. It's just really nice that you are here when I need you and Haley.."

"Yeah Nathan?"

"I really need you right now. This is all starting to become too much."

"I'm here for you, Nate" Haley said as she laid her head on the side of his shoulder. He slowly put his arm around her so her head would fall in between his neck and shoulders. For the next half an hour, Nathan held Haley in his arms. In that moment, he realized that this was no ordinary relationship; it was something much more special. He had never felt so safe with someone before. Unbeknownst to him, Haley was thinking the exact same thing. They sat in a comfortable silence while looking at the river. All of sudden, Haley noticed her phone buzzing and answered it.

"What's Mom? Oh okay, sorry, I guess I haven't been paying attention to the time. Yup, I'll be home in a couple of minutes. Bye"

"I have to go Nate. My mom doesn't really like me out being late yet, considering we just moved here."

"That's fine Hales. I should probably be going too. Is it alright if I walk you home?"

"I was hoping you would ask that" she exclaimed.

They walked home in another comfortable silence. They truly enjoyed one another's company so the silence didn't even bother them. They were holding each other's hands, with their fingers interlocking. They finally arrived at Haley's door and began to say goodbye.

"So, I'll pick you up tomorrow evening Haley."

"That sounds good Nathan. I'm really glad that you came to the court tonight."

"You have no idea how glad I am that I came tonight" Nathan said.

"Goodnight Nathan."

"Goodnight Haley."

Nathan began to walk back home. It was the second time that he had taken this particular route home today. Even though it was a longer way to get back home, he grew quite fond of it. It was nice not having to go back into that house of his, even if it was only an extra ten minutes. When he arrived, he opened the front door and walked up the stairs. He peeked into his parent's room and noticed that his mom and dad were both already asleep, sleeping on opposite sides of the bed. He went to his room, changed into his pajamas, and crawled into bed. He couldn't stop thinking about Haley. She put a calm over him just like basketball did. He fell asleep with thoughts of Haley. On the other side of town, Haley was already dreaming sweet dreams of Nathan.


	21. Distractions Before the First Date

**Chapter Twenty-One: Distractions Before the First Date**

Nathan woke up to the sun bursting through his blinds in his bedroom. He took a quick glance at his alarm clock and noticed it was already 10 o'clock. He climbed out of his queen sized bed and walked to his bathroom. He took a quick shower, shaved, and got dressed. He threw on his blue Duke Basketball shorts and white Duke t-shirt. He traveled to the lower level of his house and walked into the kitchen. He saw a note on his counter from his mom.

_Nate,_

_Your dad is at work and I decided to go run some errands. I decided to let you sleep in. I heard you come in last night but didn't say anything. I figured you could use some extra sleep considering the day you had yesterday. I'll be home by 3. Have a good day! Love you!_

_Mom_

He put the note back on the counter and opened up the refrigerator. He pulled out the orange juice and poured some for himself. He guzzled it down and picked up his phone to call Luke. He listened to the ring five times before he hung up. He figured Luke was out with Brooke doing who knows what.

He went up to his room, grabbed some money and his iPod, went back downstairs, locked the front door, and began to walk down his driveway. As he was walking on the sidewalk, he noticed his Dad's car was coming towards him. He decided to turn up his iPod and began to run.

He really didn't want to talk to his Dad, figuring he would try to stop him and make him come home. He could see his Dad waving his arm at him from the car but he pretended not to see him. Finally, his father gave up, allowing Nathan to get away. Sure, Nathan did love his father, he could be a really good one sometimes, but lately he was being a plain old dirt bag, and he didn't want to associate with him at all.

He ran all the way to Karen's Cafe, hoping they would still have some bagels left, knowing the morning crowd always got there and took them all. He opened the door, made the little bell on the door ring, which notified Karen that someone had just entered her cafe. She looked up and saw Nathan, completely out of breath. She motioned him to come over at the end of the corner. He sat down and turned off his iPod. He gave her a polite smile and she returned the smile.

"So, why is it that you are completely out of breath, Nathan? Wild goose chase or something?" Karen said jokingly.

"Nah, I was running from my Dad actually. My Mom and Dad were fighting yesterday, he was being a complete jerk as usual, then he proceeded not to be home for dinner, and since I was out last night I haven't been able to talk to him yet. I really don't want to anyway, so I have been avoiding him. He tried to wave me down while he was in the car but I avoided him by running away from his car. Probably not the best idea but oh well."

"Well that definitely wasn't a wild goose chase you had. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine or I will be fine. I would be even better though if you had a chocolate chip bagel and cream cheese for me" Nathan said with a big smirk on his face.

Karen walked into the back and came back with the bagel and cream cheese. She handed it to Nathan and his smirk got even bigger.

"How much do I owe you, Karen?"

"It's own the house this time, Nate."

"You don't have to do that."

"No, I don't but I want to. If you would like you could come over for dinner tonight. Lucas and I are having pizza night and you are welcome to join us."

"Well thank you for the offer but I am going on a date tonight!"

"If I may ask, who with?"

"Haley. Our English classes were pen pals when she lived in Colorado. Then, her Dad got transferred to a job in Tree Hill. So, I took her out with Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Mouth, and Jake. We all got along well so I decided I would ask her out on a date."

"I'm so happy for you Nathan! Lucas mentioned that you had all gone out together. I'm glad she is fitting in so well. Do you know what you're doing on your date yet?"

"I think I might take her down to the river walk for dinner. I'm not sure though. I'll figure something out. She's really easy to please but I want to make our first date special" Nathan said as he continued to devour his bagel. He was always a very fast eater.

"I'm sure it will be very special Nathan. Oh and Lucas is out with Brooke, so if you try calling him, he won't pick up."

"Yeah, I tried calling and when he didn't pick up I figured he would be with Brooke. Well, I better get going. I'm going to go pick up some flowers for Haley."

"Alrighty, have fun Nate!"

"Thanks Karen!" Nathan said as he opened the front door.

He walked down the street to the nearest flower boutique. He picked out a bouquet of purple little flowers. He thought Haley would like them. After he paid the cashier, he began to walk home when he heard someone yelling his name.

"Nathan!" Lucas yelled.

"Hey Lucas! Hey Brooke! What's up?"

"We are just about to go and grab some lunch. Would you like to come with us?" Brooke said sweetly.

"Nah, I just ate a bagel at Karen's and I'm about to head back home to the Scott war territory."

Lucas began to laugh. "Dude, you don't have to go home if you don't want to."

"I know but I can't avoid my Dad forever. I mine as well just get it over with."

"Got it" Lucas said.

"Hey Nathan, who are those flowers for?" Brooke said.

"Ahh, these are for Haley. I asked her out on a date and I thought I would give her some flowers."

"Awww, Nate! That is so cute! We should double date! That would be so fabulous! What do you think, Nate?"

"I think I need to get through the first date first before we begin to think about double dating; if that's okay with you Brooke."

"Fine by me!" Brooke said with a smile as she turned to Lucas. "Luke, I am getting very hungry. Can we go now?"

"Yeah, I'm getting pretty hungry as well. We'll see you later, Nate! Good luck on your date!"

"Thanks guys! See you later!" Nathan said.

He continued to walk home in a very slow pace. He didn't want to talk to his dad, but he knew he had to. He approached his driveway and his dad's car was nowhere to be seen. He walked into the foyer of his house and heard absolutely nothing. He walked into the kitchen, set down Haley's purple flowers, and turned on his answering machine because the red light was blinking.

"Nate. It's your father, the man you're avoiding. Something came up at work and now I am on my way to the airport. Some business client mess that you wouldn't understand...but anyway...your mom knows I'll be gone," there was a short pause. Then, in a much more stern voice he said, "We'll talk when I get home! Don't think you're going to get away with avoiding me! I am your father and you need to know my side of the story before you start judging me!" The message ended and Nathan continued to stare at the machine.

"Jack-ass!" Nathan screamed.

He grabbed the answering machine and slammed it against the wall. He stared at the floor and couldn't believe he had just destroyed their answering machine. His Dad had never angered him so much. He walked up the stairs and into his bedroom. He turned on the stereo to the CD he had made of rap music. He turned on his television and Game Cube. For the rest of the afternoon, he sat in front of his television screen. He heard the garage door opening, which he figured was his mom, so he turned off his game and stereo and headed downstairs.

Deb Scott walked into the house and straight into the kitchen to lay down her shopping bags. She noticed the answering machine, or what was the answering machine, in little pieces on the floor by the patio door. She heard Nathan running down the stairs and walked to the doorway.

"Mom, I can explain!" Nathan said.

"What happened Nate?" Deb said, trying to be calm.

"Dad called and left a message on the machine. I avoided him this morning when he was driving home. He tried to wave me down but instead I just ran away. I didn't want to talk to him. When I got home, I turned on the answering machine and he had left a message that he was going out of town. At the end of the message, he told me that he would make sure I didn't avoid him when he got home, in a really rude voice. I got so angry that I threw the answering machine at the wall. I'm really sorry Mom! I got carried away but he makes me so mad."

Deb walked over to her son and gave him a hug. Sure she was mad that they didn't have an answering machine but that could be replaced. She wanted the best for Nathan and she was beginning to realize that this marriage needed to be ended.

"Nathan, I am so sorry that your father did that to you. I want you to know that I talked to him about counseling and he had nothing of it. He refuses to go see a marriage specialist so this morning I decided to go get some divorce papers. I've had enough and so have you. We're going to get out, Nate."

"I don't know what to say, Mom. I never thought this day would come."

Deb smiled at her son. She knew she had just taken a load of stress off of her son's back.

"Mom are you sure you aren't mad about the answering machine?"

"Oh I will replace that. Don't worry about it. Now, what should we have for dinner?"

"I have my date with Haley tonight, Mom. So, I won't be here for dinner."

"That's right. That completely slipped my mind. I suppose I will go grab a sandwich at Karen's then. I haven't seen her in a while and it would be nice to be able to catch up. You know, I'm really glad you and Lucas became friends because that allowed me and Karen to become friends as well."

"Yeah, it worked out well for both of us, huh?"

"Sure did!" Deb said.

Nathan glanced at the clock. It read 5:30. "I'm going to go take a quick shower Mom before my date. I'll let you know before I leave, okay?"

"That's fine, Nathan" Deb said.

Nathan walked up the stairs and hopped into the shower. In the meantime, Deb cleaned up the broken pieces of the answering machine. She couldn't believe Dan had made her son so mad. She felt a bit guilty when she picked up the divorce papers this morning but after seeing the kitchen floor when she got home, her decision this morning was one of the best decisions she had ever made.

Nathan got ready in his bedroom. He put on a black short sleeve polo, khaki cargo shorts, and his black and white Nike basketball shoes. He took the cap off of his cologne and sprayed it on himself. He looked in the mirror to make sure he looked okay. He grabbed his wallet and wristwatch off of his nightstand and walked back down to his kitchen.

"It's time for me to go Mom."

"Okay Nate! Have fun on your date! Please try not to get home too late."

"I won't. I'll probably be home by eleven."

"That sounds fine. I'll talk to you when you get home."

"Alright, bye!"

"Bye" Deb said.

Nathan grabbed the purple flowers off of the counter and walked out the front door. He couldn't wait to see Haley.


	22. The First Date

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The First Date**

Nathan had reached the James' front steps. He began to pace in front of their door, allowing himself to keep his cool, it was the first date after all. He rang the doorbell and waited for the door to be opened.

Haley had been sitting on the couch waiting for him. She had peered out the window, low and behold, there was Nathan Scott pacing back and forth. She felt a small smile creep up on her face knowing that deep down inside, he was just as nervous as she was.

They weren't feeling a bad nervous but a good nervous feeling. Ever since they had begun writing letters to each other, there had been an undeniable chemistry between them. A chemistry that had continued to grow with ever letter they wrote and with every meeting between the two of them after she had moved to Tree Hill. They both wanted their relationship to work out so bad, wishing that the other was wishing the same exact thing.

Haley heard the doorbell ring so she grabbed her purse and looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She was wearing the outfit that Theresa had picked out for her over the phone. She sprayed one last mist of perfume on her neck and went to open the door. Once she opened it, she saw Nathan standing in front of her with a shy look on his face and little purple flowers in hand.

"Hi Nathan!"

"Hi Haley! These are for you" Nathan said as he handed Haley the flowers.

"They are absolutely beautiful Nathan. Thank you so much. We should probably put these in water before we head out. Will you come to the kitchen with me?"

"Sure."

They headed down the hallway and into the kitchen. Haley opened the cabinet above the refridgerator and pulled out a glass vase. She filled it with three-fourths water. She carefully took the flowers out of their plastic wrap and placed them into the vase.

"I'm ready to go now" Haley said.

"Alright, lets go!"

They walked out of Haley's house and locked the front door. Haley's parents had headed out for a night of their own knowing Haley would be out of the house as well.

"Okay, so you have to tell me where we are headed on this date of ours!" Haley said curiously.

"Do you want to know now or do you want to wait and be surprised?" Nathan asked.

"I would actually like to know now. I'm not really great at surprises."

Nathan began to laugh. "Well, since you have to know right now..." Nathan said jokingly," we are going to go to a little Italian eatery on the river walk and then we will see what happens from there. Notice how I didn't drive here though, so maybe we can take a walk after dinner."

"Oh bugger, now I wish I hadn't said anything. Nathan, that sounds so romantic. Thank you for planning everything out."

"Your welcome" Nathan said.

"So if you don't mind me asking, Nathan, are you okay? I was really worried about you last night."

"I'll be fine Hales. I promise. Plus, I'm not going to let my parents get in the way of the evening I have planned for us. I have been waiting way too long to ask you out. I wanted to even ask you out while we were writing those letters to each other. Nothing is going to ruin this night."

"Aww, you wanted to ask me out even before we met?"

"Well, yeah. I don't know. You put this amazing calm over me when we were writing to each other. You were like basketball for me. You put me at ease when I was reading your letters. It just seemed to fit."

"I'm glad I was able to put that calm over you Nathan. Also, if you would like to know, my buddy Theresa often told me that I was often much happier the days that I would either be receiving letters from you or writing letters to you."

Nathan smiled at her and she returned the favor.

"Hey Nathan?"

"Yeah Haley?"

"Do you believe in...fate?"

"Do I believe in fate? Hmm, do you want my honest answer?"

"Yeah, that would be preferred."

"No."

"Oh" Haley said with a small frown on her face.

"But that all changed when I met you" Nathan said while stopping. He looked down at her and smiled. Haley's eyes lit up when he said those eight words to her. She had never felt so important. Then, he grabbed Haley's hand. Their fingers intertwined oh so lightly but enough for the other to notice the instant spark between them. They continued to walk to the Italian eatery Nathan had picked out for them.

When they arrived at the resturant, Nathan went up the hostess and gave them his name. Haley noticed that he had already reserved a table for them, right on the river. He again took her hand and led her to their little table. They sat down and were given their menus.

"What is your favorite dish Hales?"

"Oh no, do you really want to know?"

"It can't be that bad...what is it?"

"Macaroni and Cheese" Haley said and then covered her face with the menu.

Nathan began to laugh quietly.

"Hey! I heard that!" Haley said jokingly.

"I'm sorry. Okay, I need to know, why mac and cheese?"

"It has always been my one comfort food. Whenever I'm nervous or sad, it has always tended to cheer me up. So, I guess maybe it is a little childish to have mac and cheese as a favorite food but it has been able to comfort me on several occasions."

"So do you need to order macaroni and cheese tonight?" Nathan said hoping her answer would be no.

"Nah, someone I'm quite fond of has actually done the comforting for me already tonight. Oh and that someone is you by the way."

"I was hoping it would be me you were talking about!"

The waitor finally came to the table and took their order. Haley ordered first and asked for chicken parmesean and a water. Nathan ordered lobster ravioli and a glass of Sprite. The waitor left the table allowing Haley and Nathan to continue their conversation.

"What was your life like in Colorado, Haley?"

"Oh my, this could take a while Nathan" Haley said jokingly.

"I think I have time" Nathan said.

"Alright, what my life was like in Denver. It is much different in Colorado than it is here. You pretty much have to drive everywhere because I lived in a much bigger neighborhood. I had one best friend and that was Theresa. We have been friends since like forever. She knows everything about me. School always came first to me, too. I often was found in the library reading and studying. Learning has always been really fun for me. I am the youngest child of my family so I was always tagging along with my older brothers and sisters. My parents always made sure we were a close family so we often took family vacations to keep the family in tact. Ooo and we usually went to the Rocky Mountain National Park during summer break. We definitely took advantage of the state we lived in, so we were always hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. I think that about sums up my life in Colorado."

"It sounds like you had quite the life in Denver."

"Yeah, I did but I have a feeling I am going to find a lot of things that I am going to love here too. Well since you asked what my life was like in Colorado, what's your life like in Tree Hill Nathan?"

"My life is very different than yours. My parents used to be really close when I was little. We would go to the beach a lot and spend time at our beach house. A couple of years ago, my parents began to start having their differences. I can't really remember the last time we had a really nice vacation. It's either a vacation with me and my dad or me and my mom. Plus, they are always working so we are pretty much separated every day of the week. Basketball has consumer my life ever since I was little. I used to play baseball and I loved that but I have always been more talented at basketball so that's what I stuck with. During the school year, I usually have b-ball practice three to four times a week. When I'm not at school, I'm either hanging out with Lucas or I'm at the river court. I suppose that is my life in a nutshell, Hales."

"I'm sorry your parents began to fight a couple of years ago."

"I know and thanks. Remember though, we can't let them ruin our night so lets change the subject, if that's okay?"

"Definitely fine but know I am always here to listen to you vent."

"Thanks Hales."

By that time, their meals had arrived. They began to dig into their dishes.

"How's your food Hales?"

"It's really good. I love chicken parmesan. My mom used to make it for our family the first Sunday of every month when I was little. She stopped making it when I was twelve because most of my siblings had moved out and there was too many leftovers. It has always been one of my favorite dishes. How's your lobster ravioli?"

"It's good as well. I tend to order this dish every time I come here. I'm one of those people where when I find something I really like, I don't order anything else."

"So your afraid of change then."

"Well, I guess, if you want to put it that way."

"That's okay. I'm kind of afraid of change too but with everything that happened this year with my Dad's job and whatnot, I learned that change can actually be a pretty good thing" Haley exclaimed.

"Yeah, I suppose if it's change for the better then I'm all for it. It's the change that makes things a lot worse, that's what I'm not too fond of" Nathan said.

"True but who knows, that change for the worse could actually allow you to grow in ways you never imagined."

"You're a pretty optimistic person, Hales. I give you lots and lots of credit."

"Thanks! I try to be a positive person, it tends to make me feel better."

The waitor came up to the table and gave Nathan the check. He gave him thirty dollars, enough for the meals, drinks, and tip. Nathan and Haley got up from the table and walked out of the restaurant.

"Okay, so where to next Nate?" Haley asked while standing side by side by Nathan.

"You see that huge rock over right on the riverbank?"

"Yeah..." Haley said curiously.

"Do you want to go sit on the rock with me for a little bit and talk. Then, I can take you home."

"That sounds nice."

They walked over to the humongous rock by the river. Nathan climbed on top of it first and then took Haley's hand. She climbed up on the rock and sat inbetween Nathan legs so her back would lean up against Nathan's chest. He put his arms around her and held her while she gently laid her head on Nathan's shoulder.

"I'm really glad you asked me out" Haley said abrubtly.

"I'm glad I did as well."

Haley leaned her head back and looked up at Nathan. He smiled at her once again. She smiled back and then moved her head back to where she was before so she could look at the river.

"It's absolutely beautiful here Nathan. I love looking at the water, even if it's a small river. It's so peaceful, especially at night."

"Yeah, it really is peaceful, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

They continued to sit on the rock and look out at the river. The sun was setting in front of them and it was absolutely beautiful to look at. The sky was in different shades of pink, orange, and red. They sat in a comfortable silence while watching the sun set. The air was getting cooler and Nathan could notice that Haley was beginning to get colder. He could feel little goosebumps appearing on her forearms. He held her closer and noticed that the goosebumps were already disappearing.

"Well, it seems to me that it is beginning to get cold out and it's starting to get late so we should probably get going." Nathan said softly in Haley's ear.

"Yeah, the air is definitely starting to get a bit crisp" Haley replied.

Nathan jumped off of the rock and took Haley's hand. She jumped off, with the help of Nathan. They continued to hold hands as they walked towards Haley's home. They reached the front door and glanced up at each other.

"I had a really great time tonight, Nathan. Thank you so much for dinner."

"It was my absolute pleasure Hales. Do you mind if we do it again?"

"I would love to go out with you again, Nate."

"Good! I was hoping that would be your answer" Nathan said as he smiled down at here.

"Well, I should probably get inside. Thank you again Nate."

"Your welcome."

Nathan took both of Haley's hands and pulled her into a tight embrace. They held each other for a while until a cool wind grazed against their skin.

"That's probably our cue to let go of each other or less I think I could probably stay this way for a very long time" Haley said looking up at him.

Nathan chuckled and let go of Haley.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow Hales."

"Sounds good to me!"

"Goodnight Haley!"

"Goodnight Nathan!"

Haley opened her front door and walked inside. She went upstairs to her bedroom and closed the door. She turned on the radio and took her shoes off. She laid on her bed and a huge smile crept up on her face. She was one of the happiest people alive.

Nathan continued to walk home and just like Haley, a huge smile was on his face. He couldn't wait to see her again. This was definitely the beginning of a beautiful relationship.


	23. Calls from the Best Friends

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Calls from the Best Friends**

"He didn't even kiss you!" Theresa yelled into her cell phone.

"Nope, no kiss. He was an absolute gentleman."

"Okay, let us recap Haley James, shall we..."

"Haha, okay Theresa."

"Here we have this handsome hunk of a guy, varsity basketball player, shy and talkative at the same time, complete gentleman, wanted to ask you out even before he met you which means he's just not into looks, holds you when you're cold, and always tries to make sure you are comfortable in any situation. I mean this guy is like...is like...well he's like..."

"He's like perfect, Theresa. Absolutely perfect, there is no other way to describe him."

"Oh Haley, I am so happy for you. Correction...I am beyond happy for you...I am utterly elated for you!"

"Woah, big words from Theresa!" Haley giggled into the phone.

"Well, this particular situation requires my extended vocabulary!" Theresa exclaimed.

"Oh Theresa, you always give me a good laugh."

"I'm glad I can be your comedian Haley. Now, do we have the next date planned out?"

"He asked me out again but we didn't finalize any plans. I mean our date only ended an hour ago so the fact that we don't know when we are going out again isn't that big of a deal. He said he would call me tomorrow and that suits me quite well."

"Make sure you call me after your next date, okay? This romance of yours is better than any novel I can pick up at the local bookstore."

"Well I'm glad Nathan and I are entertaining your romantic fairy-tale needs."

"You certainly are, my dear! Alright, time for bed. Goodnight Hales!"

"NIght Theresa!"

Haley put on her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and turned off her bedroom lights. She decided to keep her window open so she could have somewhat of a breeze flow through her room. She tucked herself under her bed comforter and snuggled her head into her fluffy pillow. She closed her eyes and within mintues she was asleep dreaming sweet thoughts of Nathan.

--------------

While Nathan was walking home from their date, he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He had turned the ring off before their date to make sure they weren't going to be interrupted. He pulled his flip phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He opened up the phone and put it up to his ear.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my noosy big brother of mine, Lucas." Nathan said jokingly.

"I figured your date was over with by now so I thought I would call and see how it went."

"So, you want to know how my first date with Haley went, eh?"

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say it went extremely well considering the fact that you won't stop making giddy comments."

"You caught me red handed, big bro. The date was the best first date I have ever had."

"Good! What did you guys do?"

"I took her to a little Italian restaurant on the river walk, then sat with her on a big rock by the riverbank and watched the sunset."

"Do you realize how many points you just scored my friend? That's like something you would see in The Notebook."

"Since when have you seen The Notebook?" Nathan said while laughing.

"My fabulous girlfriend of mine made me watch it a couple of weeks ago. It was a total chick flick and practically made me gag. Nonetheless, my girl was in tears by the end so it obviously meant something to her. So, being the great boyfriend I am, I told her I would try to live up with the movie's romantic standards."

"Well, it looks like we are both trying to make our lady friends pleased huh, Luke?"

"Right we are, Nate!"

"So did you kiss her?"

"Nah, I didn't think it was appropriate yet. She's too special to me and I didn't want to scare her away. Even though we had enough moments where I could have kissed her, I want to make sure that it is the most perfect moment when we kiss."

"Good plan dude. I didn't kiss Brooke on the first date either."

"Great minds think alike!" Nathan said.

"Indeed they do!"

"Alright man, I'm in my driveway now so I'm going to hang up and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me! Oh and Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad your date went so well. I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks. Night."

"Night!"

Nathan opened up his front door and walked up the stairs. He peered into the master bedroom and his mom was already asleep. He walked into his bedroom, changed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and laid down in his bed. He fell asleep quite easily, knowing that his relationship with Haley was only going to get better.


	24. A Surprise at the Cafe

**Chapter Twenty-Four: A Surprise at the Cafe**

"Haley James, it's time for breakfast!" Mrs. James yelled from the foyer.

"Coming Mom!"

Haley jumped out of bed and threw on her purple bathrobe. She had kept her window open the night before, which in turn made her room quite chilly..hence the bathrobe. She brushed her hair, put in her contacts, and then skipped down the stairs. Her mom always surprised her with French toast or pancakes when she least expected it. This was one of those mornings.

She entered the kitchen and saw her Mom busy at work in front of the stove. She noticed the table was full of sausage links, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and chocolate chip waffles.

"Holy cow Mom! How many people are you feeding?"

"Just your father, you, and me. I think I got a little carried away but no worries...we will have leftovers for the next couple mornings!"

"I love when you do this. You always seem to surprise me. Thank you!"

"You are quite welcome girlie. Now, since I made you this oh so fabulous breakfast you have to pay me back."

"Oh no...this can't be good!" Haley joked.

"Nah, you just have to tell me how your date went last night."

"Ahh, you want to try and pry into my private life huh Mom?"

"Sure do! Spill the beans missy!"

"Alright, alright! The date went really well. He was a perfect gentleman. He took me to a restaurant on the river walk and then we sat by the river and watched the sunset and talked. All harmless, romantic fun."

"He sounds like a keeper to me. I'm glad it went well."

"Yeah, you and I both! Okay, so now you have to tell me how your date was last night!"

"Your father of yours never ceases to amaze me, my dear. He took me to the beach for a picnic dinner and we watched the sunset."

As Mrs. James was finishing telling Haley about her date, Mr. James walked in.

"Well, well, well Dad! I hear you are quite the romantic!"

Mr. James walked over to his wife and put his arms around her waist.

"Oh, is someone giving away all of my romantic secrets?" Mr. James joked to the ladies.

"Yeah, but don't get a big head buddy!" Mrs. James said as she lightly tapped his elbow.

"While you guys continue to do your attempt at married flirting, do you mind if I try to eat this scrumptious meal my mom and your wife made?"

"Sorry Haley! Yes, lets eat!" Mrs. James said.

They all sat down at the round kitchen table and feasted on the food Mrs. James had made. Haley had always enjoyed these moments between her and her parents. When she was younger, she was never able to have any alone time with them considering how big their family was. Once all of her siblings moved out, it was just her and them. Even though they ate dinner together almost every evening, it was still nice to have these special breakfasts in the morning.

On the other side of town, Nathan woke up to the sound of someone vacuuming the bottom level of their home. He looked at the calendar and noticed it was Tuesday, the day the maids came to clean up their mansion. He locked his bedroom door so they knew not to come in. He took a shower and got dressed. He picked up his cell phone off of his dresser and called Lucas, hoping he would want to hang out.

"Hey Lucas!" Nathan said into his cell phone.

"You sound way too perky Nate! Oh wait..." Lucas glanced over at his calendar and sure enough it was Tuesday, which meant only one thing, Nate wanted to get away from the cleaning ladies. Lucas began to laugh as he put his phone back to his ear. He figured he would give Nate a hard time. "So Nate, what's up?"

"What was with the pause, Luke? Oh no, is Brooke there?" Nathan said with a disgusted look on his face.

"Dude, no! Get your head out of the gutter, Nathan! You pervert!" Lucas said half jokingly, half not.

"Sorry, sorry!"

"I was just glancing at the calendar, noticing that is was Tuesday, which means only one thing...my little brother wants me to rescue him from the maids!"

"You know me all too well."

"Yup! I sure do!"

"They are always staring at me Luke! It's like I'm fresh meat at the deli or something!"

"Aren't they older women though?"

"Yeah...that's the scary part..."

Lucas began to crack up, something Nathan was definitely not amused by.

"This is not funny Luke!" Nathan yelled into the phone.

"Sorry dude! I couldn't help but laugh. Look, since I'm a good big brother and all, I will meet you at my mom's cafe in five minutes."

"Oh thank you! See ya!"

"Bye!"

Nathan sprinted down the stairs and into the kitchen. He told his mom he was going to Karen's Cafe. She allowed him to go and with that, Nathan ran down the hallway, trying his very best to avoid the maids. He walked all of the way to Karen's Cafe since it was only five blocks away.

He opened the front door of the cafe to see a huge mass of people. Lucas and his mom were both taking orders and working the cash register. Instead of sitting down at an empty table, he walked behind the counter and began to help out Lucas and Karen. After the morning crowd settled down, Nathan and Lucas sat down on the bar stools at the counter.

"Thank you so much for helping me out this morning Nathan! You were very kind to do so!"

"No problem Ms. Roe. Do you ever think about hiring an extra set of hands?"

"I've actually been thinking about it but I have no idea who would be interested in working here."

"You mine as well put up a Help Wanted sign, Mom. It wouldn't hurt anything."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Alright, enough with my problems, what can I get you two?"

"I'll take a bagel Mom."

"And you Nate?" Karen said.

"I think I'll have a plate of chocolate waffles, if you don't mind."

"No problem at all!"

Ten minutes later, Karen returned with the food the boys had ordered. Nathan and Lucas ate their meals in a relatively slow speed. They ate their breakfast in silence until Lucas finally spoke up.

"Did you talk to Haley yet?"

"Nope. I plan to go over to her house after I leave here."

At this time, someone walked into the cafe but neither Lucas nor Nathan bothered to turn around and see who it was. They continued on with their conversation. The customer continued to walk towards them, Nathan and Lucas still preoccupied with their conversation.

"Do you know what you're going to say?"

"I think I'll talk to her a little bit. A casual chit chat and then I'll ask her out nicely."

"Sounds good to me!"

"Sounds really good to me too!" Haley said as she plopped herself down on the bar stool next to Nathan.

"Woah! I didn't even know you were here!" Nathan said.

"I decided to sneak up on you considering you were talking about me and all. So, what were you actually saying about me Nathan?" Haley said curiously.

"That would be my cue to go!" Lucas said smiling while walking to the kitchen, where his mom was at.

"I was telling him how I wanted to ask you out, actually. You came right in time to hear how it's all going to play out!" Nathan said.

"Ooo, tell me, tell me!" Haley said curiously.

"Well, I told him I would take your hand..." Nathan grabbed Haley's hand so their fingers were intertwined, "I would look straight into your beautiful hazel eyes..." Nathan looked into her eyes while she gazed into his dreamy blue eyes, "and ask you if you would like to go out on another date with me. What do you think?"

"I think you should start planning our second date!" Haley said sweetly.

Nathan smiled at her and pulled her into a short but intimate embrace. After their hug, Nathan and Haley both sat back down.

"So when do you want to go out Nathan?"

"How does tonight at seven sound?"

"It sounds good to me!"

"Good! Now, why did you come here this morning Hales? You hungry?"

"Nope, my mom needed some bread so I told her that I would come here and pick up a loaf."

"Ahhh..."

"Then, I noticed that Karen had put up a Help Wanted sign so I figured I would talk to her about that."

Karen walked back to the counter once she heard Haley say Help Wanted sign. Haley noticed her arrival and greeted her warmly.

"Hi Ms. Roe!"

"Hello Haley! I heard you say Help Wanted sign. Are you interested in working here?"

"Yeah, actually I am. I think this would be the perfect job for me. It's really close to my house, I'm a people person, and I'm a real quick learner."

"Well Haley, today is your lucky day! You're hired! I'm usually not this quick to make a decision but you have gained the trust of the two most important boys in my life. They have very good judgment which means they trust you and that means I trust you too."

"Oh thank you so much Ms. Roe!"

"You can call me Karen" Karen said warmly.

"Oh okay" Haley said shyly.

"Well, why don't I take you to the back so you can fill out tax forms and whatnot."

"Sure!"

Haley got up from her bar stool and gave a sweet smile to Nathan.

"I'll see you tonight Nathan."

"Yup! I'll be at your house around seven."

"Alrighty!"

Haley picked up her purse and followed Karen to the back of the cafe. She couldn't believe how well her life was going. She had met a great group of friends, she had a boy who cared about her, and she had just gotten a job. She was all smiles and felt as if she was on cloud nine.


	25. A Night of Conversation

**Chapter Twenty-Five: A Night of Conversation**

The time had come for Nathan to pick up Haley for their second date. He left his house and arrived at Haley's home ten minutes early. He decided to ring the doorbell and wait for Haley to answer the door.

"What is he doing here ten minutes early!" Haley said frustrated as she ran down the stairs.

"Hi Nathan! You are ten minutes early. Do you know that?" Haley said as she opened the door so he could come in.

"And by that tone of voice and the fact that you have a towel on your head makes me wish I had arrived ten minutes late."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to come off rude. I just want you to see me when I'm all dolled up, not like when I'm a slob, like now."

"Hales, you look absolutely beautiful but if you would like to change then go ahead. I should warn you though...notice how I am dressed...I am wearing basketball shorts and a simple t-shirt, which means we aren't going anywhere that is dressy. In fact, it's just going to be me and you tonight. I think you'd actually prefer to be in shorts and a t-shirt as well."

"Oh really, and why is this? Where are you taking me Nathan?"

"Oh no, I am not going to fall for this again!" Nathan said jokingly. "I want you to be surprised when we arrive at our location but I will give you a hint...you have been there several times before."

"Hmmm...that narrows it down a bit but I won't have you give me any more hints because I want to be surprised this time."

"Good!" Nathan said as he stared at her giving her a questioningly look, trying to gesture her to go get dressed and dry her hair.

Haley grabbed her towel on top of her head," Oh...right! I'll be down in a couple of minutes. Let me just dry my hair and I will come down in some shorts and a tee."

"I'll wait here on the couch."

"Okay!" Haley said as she climbed the stairs up to her bedroom.

Nathan sat down on the couch in Haley's living room. He could tell that this was definitely a loving household. Their mantle had several picture frames of Haley's family and the decor of the whole house was definitely pleasing to the eye and very home-like. He noticed that the living room he was in had patio doors so he walked over to them and glanced out the door's window. Their home backed up to a small lake with trees to surround it. In the lake was a small row-boat, that was attached by a rope to the nearest tree. He was so interested in her backyard that he didn't even notice Haley right behind him. Instead of making him jump, she decided to take her arms and slowly move them around his waist so that she was hugging him from behind. He felt Haley's body up against his and turned around so they were face to face.

"Hey there. Whatcha doin?"

"I'm looking at your backyard, believe it or not. Have you ever been on that row-boat before? It looks pretty nice."

Haley quickly let go of Nathan and began to walk towards the hallway that led to the front door.

"Hales, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just ready to go."

Nathan noticed her sudden change of moods and also was wondering why she didn't bother to answer his question. He decided to let it slide, knowing that she would eventually tell him why she had or had not ridden in that row boat. They walked outside and Haley noticed that Nathan's SUV was in her driveway.

"Where are you taking me that involves us driving there?"

"You'll see, just get in."

They both got into the car and buckled their seatbelts. The car ride was completely silent, neither one of them knowing what to say. Haley felt unbelievably bad for blowing off Nathan's question. She decided to answer the question once they got to the location he had them headed to. Nathan didn't quite know what to say to Haley. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable and she definitely wasn't comfortable when they left her house. He figured a little silence would help her gather her thoughts. He wanted to make this night special for Haley. They arrived at the river court with Nathan grinning and Haley with a very confused look on her face.

"Our date is at the river court Nathan? Are we playing basketball or something?"

"Nope!" Nathan said as he jumped out of the car, leaving Haley with a very puzzled look. He opened up the trunk and pulled out a couple of blankets and began to lay them on the pavement of the basketball court.

"Nathan...what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm setting up for our date!"

He went back to the trunk of the SUV and pulled out a basket full of food. He again headed to the basketball court and set the food down on the blanket. He put everything in its place while Haley still stood their still confused as daylight. He walked back to the car and closed the trunk door shut. He came by Haley and took her hand.

"Right this way Hales."

"Nathan, what is going on here?"

"Okay since we are here, I suppose I can tell you what we are doing tonight" he told Haley as she gave him a curious look. "Tonight is actually the night of a full moon and I know how much you like to look at stars. So, I thought that instead of going to some busy restaurant, I would you give you a night of star gazing. This way, we can talk to each other with no one bugging us and we are both very comfortable with the surroundings. Also, I brought some dinner for us to feast on. I wanted to make this night special for you Hales, is it okay?"

"Nathan..." Haley said which was all she could get out. His romantic gestures were so sweet. He was always trying to cater to her needs, something that she thought was very romantic.

"I take that as you are very happy about what I planned for this date."

"Oh Nathan, this is so nice. Thank you so much."

"Your welcome."

They walked over to the blankets and sat down. Nathan pulled out two take-out dishes of mostaccoli and some garlic bread. They sat comfortably on the blankets, just enjoying each others company. Haley decided that since they were silent, she would break the silence with why she didn't answer his question.

"About before..." Haley said quietly.

"It's okay, Hales. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to" Nathan said as he sprawled his legs out so that they were parallel to the ground.

"No, I want to."

"Okay."

Haley decided to lay her head on Nathan's lap, something which he noticed quite instantly. He smiled down at her and nodded as she continued on with her story.

"When I was twelve years old, I went in our row-boat with my dad in the local lake. We were having a really great time and then we noticed that the boat was beginning to take in water. Even though we were both wearing our life jackets, the thought of drowning kept flashing through my mind. We were in the middle of the lake and no one was around. My dad tried to row to the shore but the water was coming in so fast that all he could do was let the boat drown. He pulled me into the water and the water was absolutely freezing. I was so scared and I had no idea what to do. My dad slowly swam to shore with me in his arms. Once we got to shore, we just laid there because he was so exhausted. I had never been so terrified in my entire life. Even though I knew that we would be okay, the single thought of not making to that shore scared the heck out of me. I haven't been in new row boat we bought since. I loved it so much when I was little but now, every time I see one, that single moment just flashes through my mind. That's why I freaked out before, when you asked me if I had ridden in it."

"Your mind went straight to that event and you were caught off guard."

"Yeah."

"I'm so sorry that happened to you."

"It's alright."

"No, it's not though" Nathan said as he lightly stroked Haley's hair that was lying on his lap. "You should never have to be frightened or afraid, Hales. You should always feel like you are safe and protected."

"Thank you Nathan" Haley said as she gazed into his beautiful blue eyes, as Nathan stared straight back into hers.

The sun had set and now the sky was pitch black. The stars were beginning to brighten and the moon lit up the river court enough for Haley and Nathan to be able to look into each other's eyes.

"Do you think you'll ever do it again?"

"Do what Nathan?" Haley said softly.

"Do you think you'll ever go in a row boat again and face your fears?"

"Oh, I don't know. I think once I find someone that I really trust and wants to protect me, then maybe I'll take a ride in the row boat. It used to be one of my favorite things to do so I don't think I could ever really give it up."

"I'm glad you aren't going to runaway from what you're afraid of. It shows a lot of strength in you, Hales."

"Thanks" Haley said as she smiled. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes, keeping themselves silent so they could enjoy their time together. Nathan quickly glanced at his watch and noticed it read 9 o'clock. He thought maybe he would ask Haley something on a whim, curious to what her answer would be.

"Haley?"

"Yeah Nathan?"

"Do you trust me, like really trust me?"

"Surprisingly, yeah, I do. It's always been hard for me to fully trust people but I find it so easy to confide in you. So yeah, I really trust you."

"Good because you know that I will always protect you for as long as I know you, right?"

"I didn't know that but I do now" Haley said sweetly.

"Well, since you think I am a trustworthy guy and since I want to protect you from anything, would you maybe consider going back to your house and getting in that row boat with me? We'd still be under the stars, we just wouldn't be laying here, we'd be rowing instead."

"I don't know Nathan..." Haley said shyly.

"I will always protect you. Let me help you face your fear."

"Okay."

Nathan smiled at her and helped her get up from the blankets. They picked up the blankets and basket and put them back in the trunk of his SUV. Nathan started the engine and began to drive towards Haley's home.

"It's okay if you're scared Hales."

"I know." Haley said softly.

They arrived at her house and opened up her front door. They walked through the hallway, into her living room, and then opened the patio doors. Haley's backyard was beautifully lit with outdoor lighting so it was easy for them to see where they were walking. They walked towards the small lake and stopped when they reached the row boat.

"Do we need life jackets, Haley?"

"No, the water is only six feet deep so it's not like we're rowing in the ocean or anything. Wow, you must think I'm quite the wimp if I'm scared to go into six feet of water."

"Nope, not at all!" Nathan said as he climbed into the row boat. He took Haley's hand and gently helped her climb into the boat. She sat down to the left of him because there was only one seat in the boat. He took the paddle and began to row around the small lake. He could feel the tension in her body so he put his left arm around her and stopped rowing.

"How you doing?"

"You said you'll always protect me right?"

"Right."

"Then, I'm doing fine. It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be."

"I'm very proud of you Haley."

"Thanks Nathan."

Nathan could feel Haley's muscles weaken so that they weren't tense anymore. He put the paddle on the floor of the boat so he would have his other hand free. He took his right hand and intertwined it with her left hand.

"Hales..." Nathan said softly as he moved his face closer to hers.

"Yeah Nathan?" Haley said as she too moved her face closer to his.

"Would you mind if I kissed you?"

"I thought you would never ask" Haley said quietly as a small grin moved upon her face.

Nathan tilted his head and touched Haley's lips with his. He gave her the gentlest, most passionate kiss. They broke away from each other and kept their faces near one another. Nathan gazed into Haley's hazel eyes and gave her a small smile.

"Would you like to go out again tomorrow night, Haley?"

"I would love to go out with you again Nathan" Haley said as she gave him a small smile and then laid her head on his left shoulder. Nathan picked up the paddle and rowed back to the shore of the lake. He allowed Haley to get out first and then quickly followed. They walked through her backyard, into her house, and then she took him to her front porch. He quickly embraced her into a small hug, their faces both with huge smiles on them. Haley slowly let go of Nathan and once again looked into his eyes.

"Thank you for everything tonight Nathan. The stars, the dinner, and helping me face my fear."

"You are very welcome Haley.

"Goodnight Nathan" Haley said as she slowly started to walk towards her front door.

"Goodnight Haley" Nathan said as he walked up behind her and spun her around ever so slightly. He leaned down and kissed her once more, a kiss that left both of them speechless. He gazed down at her and smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, Hales. How does 5 o'clock sound?"

"Sounds absolutely perfect."

"Alright, I will see you at five then" Nathan said as he began to walk away from her porch and as she opened up her front door.

"Goodnight Hales."

"Goodnight Nathan."


	26. Truths, Lies, and Affairs Part One

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Truths, Lies, and Affairs Part One**

The next day, Haley began to work at Karen's Café. Karen had her waiting tables and working the cash register. Lucas worked at the café as well so he was cleaning up the dirty dishes in the back and washing off the filthy tables. Karen spent most of her time behind the counter greeting the customers and answering the phone for take-out orders. 

"Welcome to Karen's Café!" Haley said to the incoming customer, "would you like a table or a chair at the counter?"

"I'll take a table please, miss" The man said sweetly. She showed him to his table and then began to turn around. She stopped when she heard him mumble something under his breath. She turned back around and gave him a curious look. 

"Pardon?"

"I said so you're the girl my son seems to be crushing over."

"You're Nathan's father?" 

"The one and only! My son told me about you two last night when I came home from the airport."

**Flashback  
**  
_Dan Scott entered the front door to his house only to find his wife comfortably asleep in their bedroom and their son nowhere to be found. He grabbed a bottle of scotch from the kitchen and made himself a scotch on the rocks with a twist. He sat down on the couch in the den, knowing Nathan would see him when he came home. He heard the front door open and close. Nathan turned on the hallway light and locked the wooden front door. He began to walk towards the stairs when he noticed the light was on in the den. He went to go turn off the switch but instead had a surprise he wasn't quite ready for. _

"Nathan! So glad you finally came home!"

"I should be using that same line towards you, Dad!" Nathan snarled as he began to walk out of the den.

"Not so fast, Nate! We need to talk and you know it so come in here and sit down." 

Nathan turned around but decided not to sit down. Instead, he walked over to the window, which was behind Dan's desk. He looked down at the bookshelf that was placed right under the windowsill. It contained several pictures of him when he was playing basketball. The other frames held pictures of their immediate family from previous family gatherings. At the end of all the pictures was a frame that had a picture of Deb. He picked it up and admired it. Instead of turning around, he stood there looking out the window while gently placing the picture frame back to its slightly dusty home.

"Why are you doing this to her?" Nathan said calmly, still not facing his father.

"Who?"

"You know all to well who I am talking about, Dad. Why are you all of a sudden treating mom like she's a piece of garbage?"

"Because! She is a piece of trash if you ask me. Before you start judging me son, you better have your mother tell you her secrets. I guarantee you that you will be siding with me after you talk to her!" Dan said angrily. 

Unbeknownst to either of them, Deb was listening to what they were saying from the top of the stairs. Once she heard Dan blaming everything on her, she decided she would go downstairs and give him a run for his money.

"Well, before you hear my big bad secret Nate, why don't you ask your father what I caught him doing several years ago!" Deb shot back at Dan, while giving him evil glares. 

"What the hell is going on here?" Nathan yelled. 

"Nathan, a couple of years ago, your father was at the beach house and I caught him with another woman. I walked in on them making out on the patio. He blamed it on me because that was the year I had more business trips than expected."

"And that's all that happened, Deb! She came over for some steaks and wine. After dinner, we went on the patio. She made a move on me and that's when you came in," Dan said as he turned to look at Nathan. "Once your mom left, she left too. There was never an affair. If your mom hadn't had stopped us, I would have. This family is too important to me." 

"I can't believe I am hearing this!" Nathan said as he stood at the window, completely shocked.

"Oh but there's more to this story! Guess who I caught having an affair two years ago after she found out that I was having one. You know all of those extra business trips she was taking, Nathan? Those weren't all for business…most of them were for play!" Dan shot back at Deb, evil filled in his eyes.

"Nathan…I didn't realize what I was doing at the time. Once I came to my senses, I called the whole thing off. All I was thinking about was myself. Once I realized that I had a chance of losing you, I came back home. You are the most important person in my life and I can't imagine my life without you." 

Nathan's face turned as pale as a ghost while his eyes filled with fire. He walked to the doorway and turned around.

"You know, I always thought Dad was a complete jackass but now, you seem to be filling his same shoes, Mom. I can't even deal with this right now! In my book, you're both pretty crappy parents! I'm leaving to go talk to Haley…don't wait up!"

"Who is Haley?" Dan snapped back at his son.

"My girlfriend and if you were home, you would know that!"

With that, Nathan slammed the door and didn't come home until the next morning. 


	27. Truths, Lies, and Affairs Part Two

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Truths, Lies, and Affairs Part Two**

_Nathan walked to Haley's house only to notice that all of the lights were off. Even though it was only ten o'clock, he figured she could be in bed so he didn't want to wake her. He continued on his walk until he stopped at a house about two blocks from Haley's home. Instead of entering through the front door, he entered through the door that was on the side of the house, the door he had entered during the night several times before. He closed the door and sat down in the chair that was by the door, with a very solemn look on his face._

_"Woah...you look awful. I take it there was another battle at the Scott war zone."_

_"You better believe it, Luke. I swear it's getting worse and worse. The more I try to get away, the more I get drawn back in."_

_"So what happened?"_

_"I come home from my date with Haley, which was awesome by the way, to find my dad sitting in the den waiting for me to come home."_

_"Ouch..."_

_"Oh yeah. He continues to call my mom out on having some big secret. Then, my mom comes down and tells me that she caught my dad having an affair several years ago. He begins to yell at her telling her that he wasn't having an affair. He tells me that she's the one that was having an affair a couple of years ago. So basically I have two lying parents who have both had or attempted to have affairs. What a lucky kid I am!"_

_"I'm sorry Nate."_

_"Hell, that's not even the worse of it. Now that my mom wants a divorce from him that means that I have to go through some ugly custody battle. I don't even want to think about what could happen with it. I don't get it, how is it that there are so many laws and restrictions on how people can live...what people can and cannot do, what age people can do certain things. The fact that there aren't any laws on who and who can't have a kid is beyond me. My parents are both going down the shoot and I have no power over it. I hate this!"_

_"If it makes you feel any better...you always have an extra bed here. My mom practically considers you like a second son so whenever you want to get away from them; you're welcome to come over here."_

_"He's right Nathan, you are always welcome to come and stay with us," Karen said as she walked into Lucas' room. She sat down on the bed next to Lucas and looked over at Nathan._

_"I'm sorry your mom and dad aren't the best of parents, Nate. Even though I know Deb had that affair, I certainly don't agree with her actions, but I do know she loves you very much Nathan. She always tells me how proud she is of you and I can't even imagine how much this is tearing her up inside. I suppose I expect nothing but this from Dan, I've never been quite fond of him since they day he abandoned me and Lucas but I'm sure that he is trying to do the best for you, even though he has a pretty wrong way of showing it."_

_"I'm so tired of it all, Karen. Ugh, I can't take this anymore!" Nathan said as he threw his head back so he was looking up at the ceiling of Lucas' room._

_"Tell you what, Nathan. I'm going to go and call Deb and tell her that you are going to stay here for the next couple of days. I think it will be good for you to be away from them and this way your parents can continue to argue and get all that aggression out of their systems," Karen said as she got up from the bed and walked out of the room. She walked to the kitchen and picked up the phone. She talked to Deb and told her that Nathan was a complete mess and thought that it was in his best interest if he steered clear of the rocky waters for a little bit. Deb agreed, a little hesitant at first but knew it was good for her son. Deb told Karen that she would bring over his belongings the next morning. They said goodbye and Karen walked back to Lucas' room._

_"She's going to bring your stuff over in the morning, Nate. I told her that you were going to stay here for a couple of days but also said that I would allow you to dictate when you wanted to go back home. She was hesitant but finally agreed with me. So now, I am going to have my motherly instincts come into play and tell you both to go to bed," Karen said with a grin on her face._

_Lucas smiled at his mom and mouthed a thank you to her. She nodded and left the room._

_"Do you want to borrow some pajamas?" Lucas asked as he got up from his bed and opened up his dresser drawer. _

_"Nah, I'll just stay in my clothes. I think we've had enough excitement for one night and me borrowing your pajamas is a little too much excitement if you ask me! Thanks though!" Nathan said jokingly._

_"Haha...okay. Well, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow then. Oh and Haley is starting work tomorrow morning, so I'm going to head in early. You can just sleep in and then come and visit us when you're ready for some breakfast."_

_"Alright, I'll be there. Thanks again, Luke, for letting me stay here."_

_"No problem! It's the least I can do!"_

_Lucas turned off the light and climbed into bed. Nathan grabbed a blanket from the floor and laid down on the futon, which was across the room from Lucas' bed. Lucas fell asleep right away but Nathan had more than enough trouble trying to fall asleep. He lay on his back so his eyes could stare at the ceiling. He reached down on the floor and grabbed his iPod that he had brought with him. He turned it on and put the headphones in his ears. He turned the volume down and put it on a song that Peyton had mentioned to him. He closed his eyes and listened to "In the Crossfire" by Starsailor and eventually began to drift off into sleep._

**End of Flashback**

"Well Mr. Scott, it's nice to meet you but..." Haley almost finished her sentence when she heard the bell ring on the door and saw Nathan walk in. He closed the door and looked up at her. She noticed the look on his face and knew that something was bothering him. She put two and two together and realized that something happened between him and his dad. She tilted her head and motioned him to go to the back of the cafe so they could talk. Luckily for Nathan, Dan's back was to him so he had no idea he was here. "I actually need to go finish something in the back so I better be going. I'll have Karen finish up your order." Haley walked away and told Karen to go deal with Dan. Karen walked over to him and stood right next to him.

"What do you need Dan?" Karen said with no emotion whatsoever.

"What? Can't I come in once in a while and say hi?"

"Dan...the last time you came in here was to tell me that our sons needed to stop talking. I refused to stop their friendship and I haven't seen you in here since. So, what is it this time?"

"I want you to send Nathan home!" Dan said as he stood up, towering right over her.

"Dan, don't you dare raise your voice at me. Your son will come home when he is ready. I don't blame him for not wanting to go home so I'll let him stay at my house for as long as he wants!" Karen barked back.

Dan grunted and then began to walk out. He opened the door and then slammed it shut, which made the bell fall off of it's old wooden frame.

"Don't worry Mom, I'll fix it for you. Oh and Haley's with Nathan in the back. Is that okay?"

"Oh yeah, that's fine. We're not too busy anyway and I think he needs her."

"You know Mom," Lucas said as he turned to his Mom, "I used to think that I was the one who wasn't lucky because I didn't have a father. As the years go on though, and stuff like this happens, I have finally begun to realize that having you as a Mom makes me the luckiest guy in the world. Especially when you take in Nathan as practically your own son, I don't know...it just makes you really great. I suppose I just wanted to say thank you."

"You know Lucas, when this kind of stuff happens too...I also realize how lucky I am that I was able to raise you on my own. Sure it was very hard at first and I felt terrible that you didn't have a father figure in your life but I am so glad that you don't have to deal with what Nathan deals with. I'm glad you feel like the luckiest kid in the world because I feel like the luckiest mom in the world," Karen said as she smiled up at her son.

"Thanks Mom! Now, I think I will go run over to our house and pick up a new screw for this bell. I'll be back in ten, Mom."

"Bye Lucas!"

--------------

Haley walked into the back room only to find Nathan pacing in front of the large sinks.

"Nathan...what happened?" he turned around once he heard her voice.

"I suppose I will give you the short version of this nightmare I seem to be living. I got home last night from our date only to find out that both of my parents have had somewhat of an affair. I left and went to Luke's and now I am staying there for a little while."

"I am so sorry," Haley said as she pulled him into her arms. They stayed like that for quite a while. Haley's head was nuzzled under Nathan's chin, a spot where she had grown quite fond of. Nathan had his hands around Haley's waist and held her tightly, not wanting to let go.

"I'm sorry I pulled you into this mess, Haley."

"I'm not. I want you to be able to tell me things that are bothering you and I'm glad that you feel close enough to me that you can tell me what's going on in your home life."

"I just don't know what I'm going to do. My mom wants to give my dad a divorce but who knows what's going to happen with my whole custody battle. I am so tired of thinking about all of this Haley!"

Haley pulled back from the hug and allowed her eyes to gaze up into his beautiful blue ones.

"Nathan, you don't have to think about it right now. Going through a divorce is a long process so who knows how long it's going to take. Try to think about something that makes you happy and keep your mind on that. It'll probably make you feel better. For example, you can think of basketball."

"Or you!" Nathan said smiling down at her.

"Haha...or me. Why don't you think of what we're going to do on our next date?"

"I was actually going to ask you what you wanted to do."

"Mmmm, what do I want us to do on our date...we could go to the beach!"

"Well, I can definitely deal with that considering I have a beach house a couple miles from here."

"Really?"

"Yup. It could be ours for the evening."

"Sounds nice, Nathan."

"Good! Now, I don't think I should keep you much longer or less Karen might be mad."

"Yeah, I should probably get back out there. Promise you're okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'll pick you up at five, okay?"

"Okay! Oh and don't show up too early!" Haley said jokingly.

"Haha...nope, not making that mistake again!" Nathan replied to Haley's joke.

They smiled back to one another and then Haley left the back room. Nathan quickly followed and told Karen that he was going to the river court. Nathan and Haley said goodbye to each other and Nathan continued on his way to the river court.


	28. You're Here For Me Now

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: You're Here For Me Now**

"I can't believe you showed up ten minutes late Nathan!" Haley said as she turned to Nathan, who was driving his SUV.

"Haha...I told you that I wouldn't arrive ten minutes early this time. I wanted to make sure you had enough time to get ready!" Nathan responded.

"I'm going to get you back for this, mister!" Haley joked with him.

"Oh Hales, with what I have planned for this evening you will have completely forgotten what I did!"

"Oooo what do you have planned?" Haley said curiously.

"Do we really have to go through this every time Hales? You already know we are going to the beach, which I had you pick by the way, can't I surprise you with the rest?"

"Nope!"

"You are way too curious for your own good. I am not going to allow myself to give in to your curious ways or your sad face you tend to make."

"You should not know that face yet..."

"I think I know you better than you think I do."

"I think that goes both ways actually."

"Oh really...and what do you seem to think you know about me?" Nathan said as he continued to drive to his parent's beach house.

"Well, I know that when you are mad or have something on your mind you go straight to the river court. Your forehead crinkles when you are deep in thought and when you pull me into a hug, I can feel your heart racing...just to name a few."

"My forehead crinkles?"

"Sure does!"

Nathan pulled into the driveway and grabbed the pizza that was in the backseat. He got out of the car and opened Haley's door. She leaped out of her seat and onto the pavement. They walked through the front door of the beach house and Haley was flabbergasted with what she saw. The house was absolutely gorgeous. Even though the walls were painted with muted beiges and whites, the accents of pillows, furniture, and fabric definitely made it a beach house.

"Woah...your house is beautiful!"

"Thanks! My mom decorated it a couple of years ago. I love it here."

"So should we stand in the hall the whole evening or is there an actual beach behind this house of yours!"

"Well Ms. Attitude, there is a beach behind my house but I'm not sure if I want to share it with you!" Nathan joked.

"Oh really? Well, what can I do to make you change your mind?"

"How about a kiss?"

"Ha...you really think I'm going to kiss you after you arrive to my house ten minutes late and call me Ms. Attitude!"

"Yup!" Nathan said with a smirk on his face.

Haley caved in and gave him a small peck on the lips. She took a step back from him and a small smile appeared on her face.

"You just had to give me your famous Nathan Scott smirk, didn't you?"

"Works every time!"

Nathan grabbed Haley's hand and they walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. He put the pizza on the counter and opened the lid of the box. He grabbed two plates from the cabinet and two drinking glasses. He handed Haley her plate and pulled out her chair.

"You're quite the gentleman, you know that?"

"Only the best for my girl. Now, what do you want to drink?"

"Water is fine."

Nathan filled up both of the glasses with ice water and walked back to the table. He sat down across from Haley and noticed a huge smile on her face.

"Haley are you aware of the massive smile on your face?"

"Yup!"

"Can I ask why?"

"You said 'my girl'. I just thought it was pretty cute."

"Ahh...yes, I did call you that. Is that okay?"

"More than fine, Nate. Oh hey, I was wondering if I could clarify something with you."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, we're dating right?"

"I sure hope we are!" Nathan replied.

"Haha...does that allow me to call you my boyfriend then?"

"Yeah and it allows me to call you my girlfriend."

Haley smiled at Nathan and he returned the smile. They ate in a comfortable silence, once in a while looking up at one another. For the first time in both of their lives, they each had an 'official' significant other, something of which they both felt very happy about. They finished their meal and began to clean up the kitchen table. After Haley washed the dishes and Nathan washed off the table and threw out the pizza box, they met back at the end of the hallway.

"So what's next, Nate?"

"I suppose since you kissed me earlier...I will share my beach with you now."

"That sounds fantastic."

"Good!"

Nathan grabbed Haley's hand and walked towards the patio door. They approached the stairs of the deck, which lead to the beach. They walked down the stairs and onto the cold beige sand. The sun had just begun to set. There was a small breeze in the air which made the ocean produce small waves, enough to make a calming noise.

"Wow! This is absolutely breathtaking!" Haley said as she continued to walk towards the water's edge.

"It is, isn't it?" Nathan said as he watched Haley stare at the ocean.

"I can't believe you have a house on the beach. I guarantee you if I lived here, my parents would never be able to pull me from this beach."

"Haha...you are definitely a person who loves the outdoors, huh?"

"Yeah. It's so weird though."

"What's weird?"

"I grew up around snow and mountains. The closest I got to water was when I went row-boating with my Dad. I never thought I would be able to love any other environment especially when I became quite accustomed to the Colorado terrain. And now that I'm here, it's almost like I love this environment more. I don't know how I should feel about that."

"I think you should probably feel pretty relieved. You have found another place that you can call home. Most people only find one place that they love and you found two. You could probably call yourself lucky."

"I suppose you're right, Nate."

They sat down on the sand, still holding on to each other's hands. They sat next to each other so they could both look at the waves nearing the shore.

"So the whole situation with your parents? Has your mom and dad tried to contact you yet?"

"Nah, my mom brought over my things but only talked to Karen. I think they know better than to bombard me now."

"Yeah. I can't believe they actually told you that they were both having affairs. It's like they don't want to protect you from anything."

"I know. I was beyond shocked. I actually went to your house last night but all of your lights were off so instead I went to Luke's."

"You came to my house?"

"Yeah because you were the one I wanted to talk to but I thought that you were asleep so I didn't want to wake you."

"Oh. I was actually awake but I had the lights off in my bedroom. I was listening to music on my iPod. I wish I could have been there for you."

"That's okay, Haley. You were there for me this morning and are here for me now. Besides, I have a place to stay now so maybe it's better that I talked to Luke first."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Speaking of Lucas, are we going to double date with him and Brooke anytime soon?"

"I was going to ask you about that. Do you want to?"

"Sure! I think it sounds like fun. Plus, it would be nice to get to know Brooke better. She seems like she is a pretty sweet girl."

"Yeah, she is. A little too perky sometimes but you'll get used to it. I'll let Lucas know that we will go out with them and we'll arrange something."

"Sounds good to me!"

Nathan pulled Haley close to him and wrapped his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and continued to watch the ocean. A few minutes later, after the sun set and the air became cool, Nathan decided it was time for them to go inside.

"We should probably get going Hales," Nathan whispered in her ear.

"Five more minutes, okay?"

"Sure."

They sat there for a while longer. The stars began to shine brighter and the moon's light was reflected off of the water in front of them. The breeze began to calm down, as did the waves. Haley took one last look at the ocean and then looked back up at Nathan.

"I'm ready now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah..." Haley said as she took one last glance of the ocean.

They locked the front door of the beach house and headed to the SUV. They drove for about ten minutes until they reached Haley's house. Nathan got out of his seat and once again opened the door for Haley. They walked on the brick walkway until they hit Haley's front door.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Nathan."

"I did too, Haley. When do you work next at Karen's Cafe?"

"Tomorrow morning actually."

"Alright, then I will talk to Luke tonight about the whole double date ordeal and then I will come in tomorrow and let you know the plan."

"Sounds good! Well, I should get inside. I will see you tomorrow morning then."

"Yup, tomorrow morning."

Haley stepped forward and kissed him. She intended to just give him a quick kiss but instead they just fell into each other's arms. Nathan held her head ever so slightly as Haley ran her hands through his hair. They finally let go of each other and smiled at one another.

"Goodnight Nathan!"

"Goodnight Hales!"


	29. We Know So Much Yet

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: We Know So Much Yet We Know Nothing At All**

Nathan drove back to Lucas' house once he dropped off Haley. He parked the car in their driveway and walked up to their house. He went through the front door and walked to Lucas' room. Lucas was in there reading and typing on the computer.

"I will never, ever be able to figure out how you play on the computer and read at the same time."

"It's a gift! I am able to concentrate on more than one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is a beautiful thing!"

"Ha! Okay I have a question for you now."

"What did you mess up this time, Nate?"

"I didn't mess up anything, Luke. Haley and I wanted to know if you and Brooke wanted to go out on a date together."

"Oh yeah...the double date Brooke thought of. That sounds fine to me and I know Brooke would love it. When do you want to go out?" Lucas told Nathan as he got up from the chair he was sitting in after he shut down his computer.

"I was thinking this weekend...Saturday maybe?"

"I'll let Brooke know. That's when we were planning to have our next date so the timing is perfect."

"Are you sure you guys don't want to be alone since you already had this planned?"

"Nope! We've been dating for a while now so it will be fun to have you guys there."

"Alright. I'm going to go to bed since I have to wake up early to go tell Haley that we are going out with you guys this weekend."

"I'm going to head in to the cafe early tomorrow morning too. Do you want me to wake you up when I get up?"

"Yeah that'd be great!"

"Good deal! Okay, night."

"Night Luke!"

--------------

The next day Nathan and Lucas walked to the cafe and told Haley about the plans for the weekend. She too was very excited that they were all going out together. Nathan and Lucas decided that they would pick up their girlfriends separately and then they would all meet at the river walk on Saturday evening at seven o'clock. Nathan decided to go play basketball at the river court once he finished talking to Haley. Lucas decided to help his Mom and Haley since the cafe was still a little busy.

--------------

It was already Saturday evening. Nathan and Lucas were getting ready in Lucas' bedroom.

"Are you excited, Nate?"

"Yeah, I think this will be fun. Plus, Haley really hasn't been able to get to know any girls in this town so I think it will be nice that she will be able to befriend Brooke."

"I never really thought of that. All Haley really sees is you."

"Yup! Not that I'm complaining though."

"Ha...you ready to head on out?"

"Yup!"

Nathan and Lucas both got into their vehicles. Nathan drove his silver SUV that he got on his 16th birthday and Lucas drove an old Jeep that his mom let him borrow. They both drove to their girlfriend's homes and picked them up. Nathan and Haley got to the river walk first so they reserved a table at the restaurant.

"Thanks for planning this, Nathan."

"Sure! I'm glad that you'll be able to meet Brooke. She's a really good friend and I'm sure it will be nice for you to get to know my friends better."

"Yeah...I realized today that the only people I really talk to in this town are you and Lucas...which is fine by the way...hehe...but it would be nice to have some gal pals."

Just then, Lucas and Brooke walked through the front doors of the restaurant. Nathan stood up and walked over to them so they would know where they would be sitting. They walked to the table and sat down. Nathan and Haley were sitting next to one another, which meant Lucas and Brooke were sitting across from them.

"I am so glad you decided to double date with us!" Brooke said with a huge smile on her face.

"Me too Brooke! I was telling Nathan how I really haven't gotten to know very many people yet so hopefully you and I will be able to become friends."

"Oh you can count on that Haley!"

The waiter came to the table and took their orders. Nathan ordered a porter house steak, Haley ordered macaroni and cheese, Lucas ordered spaghetti, and Brooke ordered chicken salad. Nathan noticed that Haley had ordered macaroni and cheese so he leaned into her so that he could whisper into her ear.

"I thought you said you only ate macaroni and cheese when you were nervous."

"Yeah...I'm a little nervous actually," Haley whispered back to Nathan.

"Don't be nervous okay, Hales. They're going to love you," Nathan whispered into Haley's ear. He gave her a small smile and turned back to the table.

"So what are you two whispering about?" Brooke said curiously.

"I just had to tell her something, Brooke."

"Oh okay! So Haley, how do you like Tree Hill?"

Haley put the water glass she was holding back down on the table and looked up at Brooke.

"I really like Tree Hill. It's so different from Denver so I'm surprised I like it so much. To be honest with you though, I haven't really been to many places or talked to many people so I'm pretty much making judgment off of Nathan, Lucas, and Karen's Cafe...which are all great by the way."

"Well I'm sure it just takes time to get used to everything. Once school starts up, you will have a much better idea of what this town is like."

"Yeah...a couple more months until school starts though, so I suppose I will have to wait a while."

"Believe me Haley, this town is pretty small. You will probably know most of the people in this town even before school starts."

"Haha...I guess we'll see in a couple of months how far I've come in getting familiar with this town."

"So Haley, what is your favorite television series and movie?"

Haley was caught a little off guard with Brooke's question. She was so used to her dates with Nathan when they would talk about how they were feeling and whatnot. She realized that this date wasn't going to be too stressful after all.

"My favorite television series would probably be Felicity and my favorite movie would have to be Casablanca."

"I didn't know that!" Nathan exclaimed as he turned to Haley.

"Yeah, my older sister got me hooked on Felicity when I was younger and I've always been pretty interested in old classic movies. I swear I live on that Turner Classic Movie channel!" Haley said as she chuckled.

"I have never heard of Casablanca, Haley. Maybe you could show it to me sometime?" Brooke asked sweetly.

"Sure! I would love to show it to you Brooke!"

"Fantastic! Okay next question...who is your favorite singer?"

"My favorite singer would have to be Sarah MacLachlan. She has such a soulful voice to her and her lyrics are absolutely amazing. I could easily spend a whole afternoon in my room just listening to her music and reading the album inserts with the lyrics in them."

"I didn't know your favorite singer was Sarah MacLachlan, Hales." Nathan said still looking at her.

Brooke could tell that there seemed to be some confusion across the table from her so she decided to tell Haley a little about Nathan.

"Well Haley, did you know Nathan's favorite movie is Caddyshack? I remember watching it with him a couple of years ago. I swear that boy of yours never stopped laughing. I highly advise you to watch that movie without him if you want to hear the actual lines of the movie!" Brooke said jokingly.

"Huh...I didn't know your favorite movie was Caddyshack, Nathan."

Brooke decided to change the subject once again.

"So Nathan, are you excited about your basketball camp coming up?" Nathan looked at Brooke and then back at Haley.

"Basketball camp?" Haley said shyly to Nathan with a confusing look on her face.

"Yeah...I...I leave for a basketball camp in a week and will be there for about a month."

Haley looked at Nathan and looked almost hurt. Why hadn't he told her about this camp? Nathan felt so bad when he looked at Haley's face. He could tell that he had a lot of explaining to do once they got to be alone.

Brooke noticed the mistake she had just made and mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to Nathan. He nodded and then looked back at Haley. Nathan and Haley began to stare at each other with confusing looks on their faces. Lucas and Brooke could definitely tell that they were acting funny tonight.

Luckily to break the silence, the waiter came with their food. Instead of talking during the dinner, they all ate quietly. It wasn't a comfortable silence, though. Brooke and Lucas were afraid to ask anything more about Haley's life because they didn't want Nathan to feel bad that he didn't know much about her. Nathan and Haley just kept to themselves barely even looking at each other. Not until tonight had they realized how much they didn't know about each other. They all finished their meals and were given the bill. Nathan and Lucas went up to the front of the restaurant to pay their separate bills. Meanwhile, at the table, Brooke decided to apologize to Haley.

"I'm sorry that I made this night so awkward for you and Nathan."

"Oh Brooke, this isn't your fault, really. I think you just kind of gave us this wake-up call that we don't really know each other all that well."

"I'm still sorry. Can I make it up to you?"

"Haha...how about you come over to my house sometime and watch Casanova with me? You mentioned earlier that you would like to see it so I'm offering a girls night out. What do you say?"

"I say you should go home and start popping popcorn!" Brooke said with a smile on her face.

"Good! Well should we go meet our boyfriends at the front of the restaurant?"

"Yeah, let's go Haley."

Brooke and Haley walked towards the front of the restaurant. Haley trailed behind Brooke because she was nervous to talk to Nathan. They reached the cashier and saw Nathan and Lucas standing outside waiting for them. Haley said goodbye to Brooke and Lucas and then walked to the car with Nathan. Nathan and Haley occasionally smiled at each other but other than that the car ride to Haley's house was completely silent. They acted like they didn't even know who the other person was. Once they arrived at Haley's house, they both got out of the car and sat on Haley's front steps. Nathan was the first one to speak.

"Haley, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the camp. I should have told you sooner."

"It's okay. I was really caught off guard at dinner though. Can I ask why you didn't tell me?"

Nathan looked at Haley and took her hand. "Everything has been going so well with us lately. I didn't want all of our fun to be ruined."

"Why would it be ruined Nathan?" Haley said as she stared into his deep blue eyes.

"Because I'm going to be gone for a month, Hales. I didn't want you to start getting sad about me leaving or me getting sad that I was leaving you. Plus, this is a brand new relationship and I don't want to put it on the rocks already."

"Nathan...you're not putting it on the rocks. We will still be able to talk on the phone everyday and see how the other is doing. I guarantee you that when you get back from this camp Nate; that I will still be waiting for you. I can promise you that."

"I'm not allowed to have a phone at the camp."

"Oh..." Haley muttered as she looked out at the night sky. It had been a cloudy day so the sky was pitch black with not a star in sight.

"What if we write to each other Nathan? It's not like we're not used writing to each other. Besides, it might be kind of fun to communicate that way again. You even said that it was nice to write your thoughts on paper," Haley said as she looked back at Nathan.

"You do realize that you will be getting a letter from me everyday right?"

"Yeah and you will be getting a letter from me everyday too. So it's a deal then! We'll be pen pals again."

"As long as I am able to have some communication with you Hales, I am good."

"Good! Now on to what happened at the dinner table this evening...did you realize how much we don't know about each other?"

"Yeah but at the same time...I don't know...I think you and I have much more in depth conversations than Lucas and Brooke do. They're the couple that's really into going to movies, listening to music, and watching television. They care about it each other so much but I don't think they have conversations like we have conversations."

"I don't know Nathan."

"I do. Look Hales...every time I get together with you, I learn more and more about you. I'm not bothered by the fact that I didn't know what your favorite movie was. Sure at the table I was a little taken aback because I couldn't even answer Brooke's question about you but after a while I realized something."

"What did you realize?"

"I realized that I know more about you than most people do. I know that you like to play basketball at night under the stars just like me. I know that you love to sing and play the piano yet you won't let anyone know that you do. I know that you had a hard time with your parents before you moved here. I know that you were always afraid of riding in the lake again until I took you out in your row boat a few days ago. I know that macaroni and cheese is your comfort food and that you eat it only when you are nervous. Brooke and Lucas didn't even think it was funny that you ate mac and cheese tonight yet I noticed right away that something was bothering you. See Haley, we may not know the simple things like what's your favorite TV show but we know far more important stuff. I would much rather know who you are and why you are the way you are than what your favorite singer is."

"Nathan..."

"That came out wrong...I want to know who your favorite singer is and what your favorite movie is Hales but the fact that I know things about you that no one else knows about you, makes me...I don't know...really makes me feel like we are in a relationship. Besides, aren't relationships supposed to be about the significant things that we talk about?"

"Nathan..."

"Haley, I know this dinner tonight made you worry about us. I want you to know though that I have learned more about you in the past month through talking and the past year through writing than I have ever learned about my friends that I have known since junior high. Okay...I"m done now."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Good!" Haley said as she threw her arms around Nathan's neck and kissed him passionately on the lips. He put his hands around her back and lightly grazed them on her t-shirt, back and forth. After a couple of minutes, they finally let go of one another, regaining breath.

"When we were at the restaurant tonight, Nathan, yeah I was really thrown off guard when I realized how little we know about each other, but you also just showed me tonight that the things we talk about are much more important than what the entertainment industry is offering us. I want to know what makes your heart beat and the things we talk about definitely makes me understand you better."

"So we're okay then Haley?"

"We're more than okay Nathan."

--------------

Lucas pulled into Brooke's driveway and they too went to sit on her front steps.

"I can't believe I did that to Nathan and Haley, Luke. I feel awful."

"It's okay Brooke, I promise. You probably even did them a favor. Now, maybe this will give them an opportunity to get to know each other better."

"Yeah I guess. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. You and I knew about that simple stuff on our first date. They've known each other for a while now and it seemed like they didn't even know each other."

"Well Brooke, their relationship is much different than ours. When I talk to Nathan about him and Haley, it seems as though they bypass the simple stuff and go straight to the nitty-gritty important things."

"Why don't we do that Lucas? Are you saying we don't talk about important stuff?"

"No, no. I love the fact that I know the simple things about you. I know how to make you smile and laugh. Sure, I don't know a lot about your family life and your past but I'm sure we will get to that eventually. Besides, we just started to date."

"Nathan and Haley just started to date and they practically know each other's family tree. It's like you and I are just friends with benefits or something."

"Brooke..."

"No Lucas, maybe I did you and I a favor tonight...I think tonight gave me some clarity about us. Lucas I want what Nathan and Haley have."

"What do Nathan and Haley have that we don't, Brooke?"

"They have a relationship, Luke. I want that. I want what Nathan and Haley have. I want a relationship," Brooke said as she laid her head on Lucas' shoulder.

Lucas looked down at Brooke and realized the truth in what she had just told him.

"I want a relationship too, Brooke" Lucas said as he rested his head on top of hers.


	30. Goodbye For Now

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Goodbye For Now**

It had been a week since their double date. Nathan and Haley spent as much time together as possible since they wouldn't be seeing each other for a month. Lucas and Brooke were slowly but surely getting their relationship back on track too. It was now Friday evening, the day before Nathan left to go to his basketball camp. Haley decided to have Nathan over for a nice going away dinner. She was checking the spaghetti, which was on the stove, when she heard the doorbell ring.

"That must be him!" Haley said excitedly as she walked towards the front door. She was wearing a simple green t-shirt and her favorite pair of faded jeans. She had a little bit of mascara on her eyes and had her long, light brown hair dangling down her back. She opened the door only to find Nathan standing on her front porch with a huge bouquet of red roses in hand.

"Nathan Scott you are such a romantic, do you know that?" Haley said as she closed the front door, grabbed his hand, and then walked him to the kitchen.

"Well I had to get you something since you're making me dinner tonight. Plus, I know that you like to receive flowers so I thought I would bring you some roses. From your reaction, I take it that you're happy with my little gesture?"

"Full of happiness! Let me put those in some water and then I will finish dinner!" Haley said as she took the flowers from him. She took the vase out of her cabinet and filled it up with water. She cut the stems of the flowers so that they wouldn't fall out of the vase. She put the glass vase on the dinner table and then walked back to the stove so she could check on the spaghetti.

"So you're making spaghetti huh Hales?"

"Yup! I'm not much of a cook but I don't think you can really mess up spaghetti!"

"Haha...do you want me to help you?"

"Actually that would be great. Could you grab that baguette over there on the island and start to slice it into little pieces?

"Sure."

"Are you all packed for camp?"

"Yeah I think so. I finally went over to my parent's house for the first time in a week this morning. I realized that I would have to go back there sooner or later and it mine as well be sooner than later. It was definitely very awkward though."

"Did they say anything to you or did they keep their distance?" Haley said as she drained the spaghetti from its water and then put it into a blue ceramic bowl.

"My dad pretty much kept his distance. My mom helped me pack a little bit. We sort of made amends with each other but it's going to take us a while to go back to a mother-son relationship. Once they get the divorce though, I'm hoping I will get to live with her. I really don't want to live with either of them but I don't think I could handle my dad pressuring me all of the time. At least my mom gives me my space yet supports me at the same time."

"What does your dad actually do to pressure you so much or better yet why does he pressure you so much?"

"My dad used to be a basketball player and he was a really good one. When he was in college, he had a knee injury that made him quit the game. Ever since I can remember walking, he has always had me playing basketball. He always wants me lifting weights or practicing at the court."

"Oh."

"He played basketball for the coach I have now, Coach Durham. He's had a grudge against him ever since this championship game or something. Long story short…they always bump heads when my dad goes and talks to him, which makes my dad pressure me more."

"Do you think him pressuring you is his way of showing you that he supports you?"

"Nope. He often tells me that I'll never be able to surpass his records and stuff like that. It's definitely not supportive by any means."

"I'm sorry your dad is such an ass."

"Haha….did my Haley just say ass?"

"Oh please…I do use words like that."

"Haha…I'm just joking with you!"

"Hey Nathan, if your mom gets custody of you then wouldn't that mean you would have to move?" Haley questioned.

Nathan noticed the uncertainty in her voice. He walked over to her and hugged her from behind.

"Nope, truth be told and no one really knows this, but my mom actually bought that house with her own money when they got married. My mom's family is unbelievably loaded so she grew up with a big bank account. So, when they get a divorce, it's my dad's ass who is out on the curb...not my mom's. Which means no, I would not have to move."

"But if your dad gets custody of you..."

"Then I will be living ten minutes away from you in the beach house. That's the house that my dad owns. He bought it when he made enough money from the dealership he owns."

"Oh."

"So you seem to be stuck with me Haley James. That okay with you?"

"Haha...I think if I had to be stuck with only one person in this whole entire world, the only person I would want to be stuck with would be you."

"Ahh...well just for that you get a kiss!" Nathan said as turned Haley around and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Mhmm...time for dinner," Haley said as she let go of Nathan's embrace.

"Good because I am famished."

"Famished? Woah Nathan Scott is using big vocabulary!"

"Ha! I got the word from Lucas, he's the big bookworm. Plus, it's not like I don't know any big words...I just find it easier to use smaller ones...it takes less time to say them!" Nathan retorted back to Haley's joke.

"Haha...oh goodness do you make me laugh. Do you want some parmesan cheese on your tomato sauce?" Haley said as she got up to go retrieve the can from the refrigerator.

''Sure that sounds great. You know Haley, for saying that you're not a great cook, this dinner looks really good."

"I try! I wanted to give you a nice going away dinner so I guess I have succeeded."

"You certainly have accomplished your goal."

Nathan and Haley ate their spaghetti dinner while talking about Nathan's basketball camp. He gave her his address so that she would be able to send him letters. She too gave him her address just in case he forgot what her house number was.

"I can't believe you're not going to be here for our one month anniversary, Nathan," Haley said as she began cleaning up the kitchen table.

"Yeah I know. I feel awful about that too. I will make sure to make it up to you when I get back though, okay?"

"Hehe...sounds good to me! So what day you actually get back?"

"I get back on July 3rd just in time to celebrate Independence Day with you."

"And what makes you think I want to go watch fireworks with you!" Haley joked.

"I figure you need someone to hold you while you're sitting on the beach in front of my dad's beach house and I also figure that person should be me!"

"Haha...well I guess if I would be at your beach house it probably should be you I am with. So where is this camp actually at, Nathan?" Haley asked as she plopped down onto their living room couch, pulling Nathan along down with her.

"It's in Charlotte. It's not too bad of a car ride but it's still a ways away."

"Oh..."

"Yeah...so what do you think you're going to do when I'm away?"

"Well, I think Brooke and I are going to get together and watch Casablanca together. Other than that I have no plans but I'm sure I'll hang out with Lucas and Brooke again."

"Oh yeah I'm sure you'll hang out with them again."

Haley laid her back down onto Nathan's legs so her head was facing up to his. "I'm going to miss you, you know."

"I know. I'm going to miss you too Hales."

He stroked her hair and then leaned down to give her a short yet sweet kiss.

"I should probably get going because I have to leave at like 4 o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Okay. It is getting a little late. I'll walk you to the door."

They got up from the couch and slowly walked towards the front door.

"Thanks again for dinner, Hales. It was really good."

"I'm glad you liked it Nate."

"Okay so I will write to you as soon as I can and as often as I can. I've been going to this camp for the past two years so I know that the coach usually puts us on a tight schedule but I will try my best to write to you everyday."

"And I will try to write to you everyday too."

Nathan pulled her into a tight embrace as Haley rested her head under his chin. They stayed that way for a good five minutes. Haley was listening to Nathan's heartbeat and she couldn't help but notice how fast it was beating. She kept her head on his chest but still began to talk.

"Do you realize how fast your heart is beating, Nathan?"

"Yeah, my heart tends to beat faster when you're around me. You have that effect on me."

"Haha...you have that effect on me too," Haley said as she pulled out of their embrace but still kept hold of Nathan's hands.

"Alright time to go."

"Okay... I'll miss you," Haley said softly.

"Oh I'll miss you too."

Nathan pulled her in once more but instead of a hug, gave her a long passionate kiss. He held her face ever so slightly as she stroked her hands through his hair.

"Bye Haley..."

"Bye Nathan..."

With that, Nathan was gone and Haley was left in her house all by her lonesome. Her parents had left for the weekend for a business trip which meant that she would be left alone for the rest of the weekend. She climbed the stairs to her room and turned on the light. She pulled out her cell phone from her purse and sat down on her bed. She needed to be comforted right now and there was only one person in this entire world that could lift her spirits besides Nathan.

"Hales!"

"Hey there Theresa, how are you?" Haley said quietly.

"Oh I'm fine but from the tone of your voice I know there is definitely something wrong with you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Haley James, I have known you since diapers so you can't get away with saying your okay with me when clearly you are not. So tell me..."

"Nathan left."

"Nathan what!" Theresa yelled into the phone.

"Nathan left for basketball camp so he won't be back for a month. He just left and I'm home alone so I thought I would call you."

"I'm sorry Hales. You miss him?"

"Yup, I already miss him. This is probably pretty sad that I am so dependent on him but I can't help it."

"It's okay to miss him girlie. You guys are good friends and also in a relationship, I think it's actually like a rule to miss him," Theresa joked into the phone.

"Haha...I knew if I called you, you would be able to cheer me up."

"I try my best!"

"Alright, enough about me...so what have you been up to lately?"

"Not too much. School ended on Monday so I have been just lounging around."

"Oh I forgot that school got out during the first week of June for you guys."

"Yup and then next week summer school starts...haha...so I guess I have something to look forward to."

"Why are you taking summer school?"

"I decided to take an art class so it's really not an academic class I'm taking."

"Fun! Let me know if you're the next Picasso, okay?"

"Haha...will do Hales. My mom actually just called me downstairs so I should probably get going. You promise you're going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine Theresa. Thanks for lifting my spirits."

"Anytime! Bye!"

"Bye!" Haley said as she put her cell phone back on her nightstand. She went to turn on her stereo, which was on her desk, and put on her Sheryl Crow CD. She changed into her white tank top and purple and white striped pajama bottoms. She turned off the lights of her bedroom and snuggled into her comforter. Even though she was tired, she couldn't sleep because of the thoughts of Nathan running through her head. Boy was she going to miss him.


	31. Girls Day In

**Chapter Thirty: Girls Day In**

It was 10 o'clock in the morning when Haley woke up from her deep slumber. It had been a day since Nathan left, which meant it was Sunday morning. The sun was peaking through her closed blinds and the birds were singing their beautiful melodies. The day before she had spent working at the cafe. She worked with Karen and Lucas the whole afternoon and evening. Haley decided that it was best if she tried to keep herself busy, that way she wouldn't always be thinking about Nathan.

Before she left for work last night, Lucas gave Haley Brooke's cell phone number. Lucas could tell all day that Haley was missing Nathan. She wasn't her usual perky self and whenever he brought up basketball or Nathan, the smile she was trying to fake was definitely overtaken by a frown. He thought it was best if Haley spent the day with Brooke, knowing all to well that a day with Brooke could lighten anybody's mood.

Haley got out of bed and brushed her teeth. She took a quick shower and then got dressed. She decided to wear her favorite burgundy basketball shorts and a simple white t-shirt. She blow dried her brown locks and then put them up into a sloppy bun. She made her way downstairs and grabbed a banana and a glass of orange juice. She took her food and beverage back up to her bedroom and then sat down at her desk. She dialed Brooke's phone number and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" Brooke said very groggily.

"Hey Brooke, its Haley...did I just wake you up?"

"Nope, I've been up for awhile but I'm really not a morning person...hence the voice I answered with..haha. What's up?" Brooke said all of a sudden very perky.

"I was wondering if you would maybe want to hang out with me today."

"Of course! I'll be over in ten minutes, okay?"

"Haha...okay Brooke! Do you know where I live?"

"Yeah I do."

"Okay and I'll be up in my room when you come over and my parents are out already so you can just come in without knocking and come upstairs into my room."

"Okie dokie!"

"Bye Brooke!"

"Bye Hales!"

As she finished eating her banana, she decided to start her day by reading a book of quotations that Theresa had bought her for her 15th birthday. Haley loved having a book of famous quotes that authors had said or written. Her family always teased her because she was often found quoting other people but she liked reciting people's famous lines. She flipped to the section of Love and Friendship, page 78 to be exact. The pages were worn from the constant use of the book and there were several different pencil and pen marks that Haley had written. She looked at the page and read to herself out loud, it was her favorite page out of the whole book and it read...

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. Carl Jung"

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired. Robert Frost"

"I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost/ Than never to have loved at all. Alfred Tennyson"

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and to be loved. George Sand"

"The heart has its reasons which reason knows not of. Blaise Pascal"

As Haley finished reading the last quotation, Brooke came into her room. "I absolutely love that quote you just read."

"Yeah, I love it too. It's probably my most favorite quote because it has so much truth in it."

"Yup it sure does. So what do you want to do today Hales?"

"Eh, just want to bum around I guess. I've been trying to keep myself distracted and I thought maybe you would want to help distract me."

"Missing Nathan, huh?"

"Sure am!"

"Haha...well I am here to help."

"Thanks Brooke."

"No problem. Now, even though it's sunny outside right now, it's supposed to be pretty rainy today."

"Really?"

"Yeah...so we should probably just hang out here today, if that's okay with you."

"Oh that's more than okay. You want to go downstairs and watch Casablanca, since I told you I would play it for you?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

The girls made their way downstairs to Haley's living room. Haley put the movie into the DVD player and pressed play. They sat down on her oversized stuffed couch and each snuggled up under a blanket. The sun had already disappeared and even from being inside the house, they could tell that the normal June temperatures were definitely lower than they should be. Dark clouds were beginning to displace themselves throughout the sky and the wind was going from a slight breeze to a much stronger one. Throughout the whole movie, the girls kept silent. Brooke and Haley were paying close attention to the movie which meant there was no time for talking. By the time the movie was over, both girls were speechless. Brooke was the first one to speak.

"Hales, that was such a good movie!"

"I know, wasn't it!"

"Thank you so much for showing it to me."

"Of course."

The wind was starting to howl outside. There were some rumblings in the clouds, but not enough to make loud thunder.

"It looks like it could get pretty nasty out."

"Yeah, it does Brooke. Do you want to stay here for a little while?"

"My parents are out of town for the weekend so staying here during a thunderstorm would be perfect."

"Good because my parents won't be home until late tonight. I guess it's just you and me."

"Hehe...to quote Rick from the movie...I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Hehe...yeah I think it is too."

Haley and Brooke walked into the kitchen to grab some lunch. Haley took a frozen pizza out of the freezer and popped it into the oven. Haley pulled the white ceramic plates from the cupboard as Brooke filled their glasses with ice water. They set the table just in time for the pizza timer to go off. They sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat their pizza.

"Cheese pizza is so good!" Brooke exclaimed.

"I'm glad you like it Brooke."

"So when does Nathan get back from camp?"

"He told me he gets back from camp July 3rd. He'll be gone for a month."

"Well until he gets back me and Luke will keep you company" Brooke said as she grabbed her second piece of pizza off of the pizza pan.

"Thanks. What do you do in your spare time here Brooke?"

"Shop! Oh my gosh Haley, I have to take you shopping sometime!" Brooke said as she clapped her hands excitedly. "I want to be a fashion designer when I get older so I spend all of my time catching up on all of the new styles."

"Haha...I suppose I will let you take me shopping but I'm not much into all of the trendy clothes.. I am just as comfortable in my shorts and tee's."

"Don't you want to look all hot for Nathan?"

"He seems to like me just as well in my comfy clothes."

"But imagine the look on his face if we got you into a short mini skirt and halter top!"

"I don't think so Brooke," Haley exclaimed as she got up from the table and put her plate and glass in the dishwasher.

Brooke picked up her things as well and headed over to the counter where Haley was at. "Come on Haley! You'd look so cute!"

"You're not going to give up on this are you!"

"Nope!"

"Okay okay...but if I'm not at all comfortable in the outfit, I'm not going to buy it."

"Fine by me. Oooo how fun, I get to take you shopping!" Brooke squealed as she headed back to the kitchen table.

The wind was really picking up by now and it had started to pour outside. The sky was pitch black but was lit up when the lightning would strike. Haley and Brooke both noticed the dangerous weather that had suddenly approached their town of Tree Hill.

"It really is gross out there."

"Yeah Hales it is. I'm glad we're inside."

"Me too! Hey, do you want a chocolate milkshake. I have had a craving for one since the movie ended."

"Oh yeah, I love chocolate. I'm literally like a chocoholic."

"Haha okay well then I will make a glass for each of us."

Haley grabbed the blender from underneath the kitchen counter. She took the chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and milk from the refrigerator. She went back to the counter and filled the blender with scoops of ice cream and a cup of milk. She pushed the red power button and it began to blend. The milkshake was almost completely blended when the power gave out.

"Uhh..." Haley said unsure of what to do.

"Do you have candles?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah they are in the linen closet down the hall. Do you think we should take the milkshake out of the blender? I don't want it to just sit there."

"That's probably a good idea."

Brooke began to take the lid off of the top of the blender as Haley retrieved the glasses from inside the cabinets and then walked over to Brooke. Just then, the power came back on which made the blender turn back on. Since the lid was off of the blender, the milkshake went flying all over the place.

"AHHHHH!" Brooke and Haley yelled. They were both completely covered in chocolate milkshake by the time Haley pushed the power button. Haley began to laugh hysterically as Brooke looked at her with an angry face.

"Haley, I don't see how this is so funny!" Brooke snapped.

"Brooke! Look at us! We look absolutely ridiculous!" Haley said as she fell onto the floor, laughing her head off. Brooke looked at herself and then at Haley and began to laugh too. They were both on the kitchen floor laughing hysterically. It was a perfect ending to a great afternoon. It was the first time in the past twenty-four hours where Haley wasn't thinking about Nathan and for that she was thankful.


	32. Do You Remember's and I Miss You's

**Chapter Thirty-One: Do You Remember's and I Miss You's**

He walked into his cold and dusty dorm room. He placed his basketball gear on the old hardwood floors. He took one small step at a time, his legs tired from all of the practice from today's workout. He sat down on the worn, fragile chair and opened up the binder he had lying on the desk. He picked up the black ink pen from inside the binder and tore out one piece of lined notebook paper. Even though his back was aching when he leaned over, he continued to write to her. He had promised her that he would try to write everyday and he was not going to break that promise, no matter how many aches and pains he had.

_Dear Haley,_

_I have been here almost forty-eight hours and am already missing you like crazy. I arrived to this place at about twelve o'clock yesterday afternoon. The car ride was awful. All I wanted to do was go back home, curl up under my sheets, and take a really long nap. Sitting cramped in a car for a couple of hours is definitely something I wouldn't take part in if given the opportunity. When I got here, I was assigned a dorm room and was then told to change into my uniform and meet at the gym at one o'clock. Talk about tight schedule! The coach is pretty cool here but he is really, really demanding. We ran drills all afternoon yesterday. I was able to practice my lay-ups and free-throws, which was good. My legs feel like jell-o from all of the sprints and leg exercises he has been making us do. After practice, it was off to the showers and then dinner. Dinner was basically spaghetti and bread. (I would take your spaghetti over their spaghetti any day!) We were ordered to go to bed by ten o'clock last night. Luckily for them, I was out like a light by nine o'clock. I'm sorry I didn't write last night but I'm sure you will understand. Today was the same routine of leg exercises and basketball drills. I really shouldn't be complaining though because I love this game. I love being here at this camp with fellow players who are at the same playing ability as me. Everyone pushes each other to do better...something Tree Hill lacks of. Not that Tree Hill's basketball program is bad or anything, it's just that we are all at different playing levels and the motivation given off by my teammates is pretty much non-existent. I think I am rambling again. I have you to thank for that Hales. Before knowing you, I was a one word kind of guy and now I can't seem to shut up. You and your ways...haha. It's almost nine o'clock and I think I am going to call it a night. I am so exhausted right now...it's pretty ridiculous. I thought I was in shape but boy was a wrong. Just wait until you see me in a month...I will be all buff and hot looking! You won't know what hit you Hales! Okay...I'm rambling and making stupid remarks on how I will look in a month which is a definite signal that I should stop writing you this letter or less who knows what will be written on this paper next._

_Nathan_

_P.S. One last thing though. Do you remember our first date when we were sitting on that rock and looking up at the stars? I had you wrapped in my arms and it seemed as if we had the whole town to ourselves. I guess what I am trying to say is that even though I love being here at camp and know how good it is for me to be here, I would give anything to have you snuggled up in my arms and sitting on that rock again. I miss you...it's as simple as that._

-------------

She opened up her desk drawer and pulled out her stationery folder. She picked out a light blue piece of paper and laid it on her desk. The pen can was full of a variety of different colored pens but she decided to use a simple black pen. All of her lights were turned off except for the small desk lamp at the corner of her desk. She took the pen cap off of her pen and placed it on her desk. She glanced at the stationery and immediately began to write. She already knew exactly what she wanted to say to him. First she thought of just writing I MISS YOU in big capital letters but figured that would just creep him out. Of course, it would get her main point across but decided to be a little more subtle.

_Dear Nathan,_

_I am sitting in my dark bedroom with only one light on. The sky is pitch black because the sun just set. It was absolutely gorgeous. The sky was filled with different shades of pink, purple, and orange. It was almost a mirror image of the sunset we saw when we were sitting on that rock after we had eaten dinner on our first date. Do you remember how beautiful the sky was that night or in that case just how perfect everything was about that night? I sure do. I worked the afternoon and night shift yesterday at the cafe. I tried to keep myself as busy as possible. I am trying to learn everything there is to know about that cafe. There is so much to know and I always feel so dumb when I can't answer the customer's simple questions. Oh well...I am trying my best. Lucas was working at the cafe with me too and before we left he gave me Brooke's number. I decided to call her this morning which was definitely a good idea on my part. We watched Casanova, ate pizza, got covered in chocolate milkshake because of a short power outage, and just sat around and talked. She really is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met, next to Theresa that is, and I hope we get to hang out again sometime. Now since I know you fairly well, I have a small hunch that you want to know about us getting covered in a chocolate milkshake. I shall give you the short version. The power went out right when our milkshake was almost done blending. We decided to pour it into our glasses not wanting our milkshake to go bad. We took the cap off of the blender and just then the power came back on which meant the blender turned back on. Our hair, faces, and clothes were completely coated with milkshake. After we got off of the kitchen floor from laughing our heads off, we managed to take a quick picture knowing how much we wanted a snapshot of our infamous blender incident. Okay so maybe that was a little longer of a story than I intended to write. I'm sorry but you know that I can be quite the rambler, especially when I write. I hope you are having fun at your camp. I'm sure you are because I know that you were looking forward to it. Have fun practicing your free-throws and three-pointers! Oh and by the way, since you are at camp getting all good at basketball that means that I need to go practice at the river court. I don't want to look all embarrassed when you come back from camp and are all like, "Hey! I'm Mr. Nathan Scott Hotshot Basketball Player!" Haha...let's just say that I will be practicing hard while you're gone so we can have at least somewhat of a fair game when you come back. Oh and one more thing that I can't forget to write...I miss you._

_Haley_


	33. Laughter with a New Friend

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Laughter with a New Friend**

The summer weather in Tree Hill, North Carolina was beginning to kick in. The trees that lined the streets were a beautiful shade of dark green and all of the flowers were finally sprouting after a long winter and spring. The temperature was in the low eighties but with a cool breeze it made it feel like it was in the mid seventies. There weren't very many clouds in the sky, which allowed the sun to shine its rays on everything and anything. Basically, it was gorgeous outside and Haley wanted to make sure she would take full advantage of the beautiful weather Mother Nature had given her.

As she arrived at the river court, she noticed that she wouldn't be the only one playing. Beside the river bank, was Lucas Scott retrieving the ball from the water's edge. Instead of yelling at him from across the court, she tiptoed across the court and onto the soft, green grass. When she was about two feet away from Lucas, who had his back to her, she decided that scaring him wouldn't probably be the best idea. Besides, she wanted someone to play basketball with, not someone who was soaking wet because they fell into the river.

"Hey Lucas!"

"Haley? What are you doing here?"

"I decided I would come play some basketball for a bit. Since Nathan is practicing his skills, I thought I should practice mine."

"So you play?"

"Yeah. Do you need some help getting the ball?" Haley said as she watched the basketball slowly move away from the river bank.

"That would be good. Can you go grab that stick over there?" Lucas said, pointing to the long tree branch that was a couple feet away from them.

Haley picked up the branch and walked back to Lucas. He put the branch into the water and then slowly dragged the ball back to shore. Haley thought it was quite amusing to see Lucas struggling to get the ball out of the water, especially with a tree branch that was so small compared to his height.

"Haley, I can hear you giggling!"

"I'm sorry Lucas!"

"No you're not!" Lucas joked back as he picked up the ball from the water.

"It's just pretty funny to see you trying to get the ball out of the water. How did it get there anyway?"

"I was playing basketball and it bounced off the rim and into the river," Lucas said trying to pretend that that is how the ball got into the river.

"I don't buy it."

"You what?" Lucas said knowing his cover was blown.

"I said I don't buy it. There is no way that the ball could have bounced from that rim into this river. The distance from there to here is way too big. Haha...I'm beginning to think that there is some very funny story behind this whole incident. Tell me, how did it get in here?" Haley said as she pointed to the water.

"I am not at liberty to say!" Lucas said as he began to head towards the court.

"Lucas Scott! You have got to tell me!"

"No I don't!" Lucas joked back to her.

"Tell me!!!" Haley begged as she followed him to the court.

"Okay okay..." he said finally giving up. He figured that he would never win this fight with her. She had quite the curious side to her, no wonder Nathan couldn't surprise her on any of their dates. "While I was playing basketball, I heard this noise coming from the riverbank. I decided that I would go over there and see what was going on. When I got to the edge of the water, I still had the ball in my hands. Then out of nowhere, this huge fish just jumped out of the water and back in, scaring me to death. I of course lost hold of the ball and into the river it went."

Haley burst into laughter, tears forming in her eyes because of how hard she was laughing.

"See that's why I didn't want to tell you!"

"Lucas that is the funniest story I have heard in weeks!" Haley said, regaining breath from all of the laughing she had just done.

"I suppose it is somewhat funny..." he said with a smile forming on his face. He watched Haley for a couple of seconds, noticing how beat red she was. She really was quite the down-to-earth kind of girl and seemed to enjoy laughing.

"Hales, you have got to stop laughing!"

"Haha...okay I'm done!" Haley said as she grabbed the ball from his hands and began to dribble it on the black pavement.

"Oh no! You were laughing at me, causing me to become embarrassed, which means I get to make the first basket!" Lucas shot back at her, pretending to be angry but was really just joking with her.

"You do realize that if you miss this basket, I am going to think that you are even a bigger wimp!" Haley teased as she tossed the ball to him.

"Ha...not if I can help it."

Lucas walked to the free-throw line on the pavement of the river court and shot the leather basketball into the chained hoop. It went in smoothly, making the chains clink together.

"Not bad, not bad" Haley said as she walked to the free-throw line, after retrieving the ball from the grass.

"Now if you don't make this shot Hales, you're going to have the letter H."

"The letter H?" Haley questioned.

"Yeah, the letter H. Haven't you ever played HORSE before?"

"Oh yeah I have. You had me a little confused there Scott."

"All the pressure is on you. Don't mess up now!" Lucas yelled from the side of the river court.

Haley dribbled the ball a couple of times and then shot the ball towards the basketball hoop. It bounced a couple of times on the rim and then fell right into the chained net.

"It seems to me as though we are tied!"

"Not for long, Hales!" Lucas said as he picked up the ball, off of the court, and shot it once again.

Haley and Lucas continued to play basketball that afternoon. They played two games of HORSE and they both were tied at winning one game a piece. They had never really hung out with each other before, but they realized that they should spend more time together. Haley could tell that they too would have a pretty close friendship, similar to the friendship she was forming with Brooke.


	34. Because Of You

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Because Of You**

Nate threw his dirty uniform on the floor of his dorm room. He was about to take a shower when he heard a tapping on his old, wooden door. He opened the door only to find Tim Smith waiting for him. Tim was one of the boys he had met at this camp. They had both been going to it for the past couple of years. He had a spunky personality, to say the least. Tim was one of the biggest party animals Nathan knew. Nathan got a huge kick out of him when they were around each other, mostly because Tim wasn't one of the brightest ducks in the pond. He made for some good laughs though. He always lightened the mood and that's why Nathan liked him.

"Hey Tim! What's up?"

"I thought since we have the day off tomorrow, you, me, and some of the guys down the hall would like to go check out the female dorm down the street. Cheerleading camp is goin down this week and I hear there are some fine ladies waiting for us to take them out for the night."

"I don't think so, Tim."

"Woah! Did the biggest playa of the camp just tell me he didn't want to go see some chicks?"

"Yup, he sure did!" Nathan said as he began to shut the door.

"Nope! Not getting away with that, Nate!" Tim stated as he pushed the door back open and entered Nathan's dorm room. "Why won't you go?"

"Because I'm tired."

"Ha...it's six o'clock. There is no way that you're going to sleep from six all the way to tomorrow morning."

"Fine you want the real reason Tim, I have a girlfriend back home and I don't want to go out with some random girls. That's not fair to her."

"HAHA! Nathan Scott has a girlfriend!" Tim teased.

"Dude Tim, it's not funny. I really like her and I'm not going to throw away our relationship for some random cheerleader" Nathan said as he opened the door back up so Tim would leave.

"It's not like she would know or anything, Nate."

"You're right, she wouldn't know...but I would."

"Come on Nate!"

"Just go without me Tim. You're not going to win this argument so you mine as well leave."

"Fine but don't come complaining to me tomorrow when you didn't have any fun tonight."

"Goodbye Tim!" Nathan said as he ushered Tim out of the door.

"See ya!"

Nathan sat down at his desk and again pulled out his notebook. He had read Haley's letter that she had sent to him, which meant it was now his turn to write to her.

_Hales,_

_Okay so I need to tell you something but I want you to promise to me that you won't be mad. I'm assuming that you won't be mad and instead will be really glad of the decision I made. This guy, Tim, asked me to go out with him and his buddies tonight. I would normally do so but this night in particular; he wanted to go pick up some cheerleaders from the all female dorm down the street. I just wanted to make sure that I told you that I rejected his offer. He thought I was some weirdo for not going but I told him you mean way too much to me. So there...my main event of the night...turning down cheerleaders for you. I have never turned down that invitation during the past camps but now I have a girlfriend. Let me tell you that it felt damn good to turn him down!_

_I did this for one simple reason and that is because for the first time in my life, I have someone who genuinely cares about me. You have so much faith in me and I am able to confide in you when things go downhill at home, I don't know what I would do without you. You are probably wondering why I am writing this to you in your letter. Again, I have one simple reason and that would be because I would feel guilty if I hadn't told you. It's not like I did anything wrong but I needed for you to know in order for me to tell you this next bit of information. _

_You have changed me Haley James. It's almost like I have done a complete one-eighty since I have started talking to you. Lucas and some of my other friends have noticed the changes that I have made. I am all of a sudden this patient guy who is beginning to have some emotions. It's not like I didn't have any emotions before I met you, I just mean that I now care how I treat other people. I guess I also realize the things I do and say really affect others. You've got me all sensitive, Hales! Haha...I wouldn't have it any other way. _

_You have this amazing way of lifting my spirits when I am down. When we were writing our letters last year, I felt this instant connection to you because you seemed to understand me in areas of my life that most people didn't. You also didn't judge me at all, which I am not used to. Most people at my school always categorized me as some dumb jock that was cute. You on the other hand look past that stereotype and see me for the real me. Granted I am not the smartest kid and yeah, I really don't like school but that doesn't really seem to make you think differently about me._

_I am so glad that I able to call you my own, my Haley. Not that I own you or anything. I didn't mean it to come out like that; I just like the fact that I can call you my girlfriend. Mostly because I am so proud of the fact that a girl like you would want to be with a guy like me. I miss you so much and can't wait to see you. I'm sorry I rambled so much in this letter it's just that I needed to get all of that off of my chest. Maybe I should have told you all of that in person before I left but it's actually easier for me to just put it down on paper. I'm sure you will understand._

_Before I stop writing, I thought I would let you know that I received your letter. It sounds like you and Brooke had a great time together. I'm glad you are making new friends. When I get back, you better show me that picture of you two! Alright, time to go. I can't wait to read your next letter...I want to know what's going on in that little town of mine._

_Nathan_


	35. Oh How Thankful I Am

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Oh How Thankful I Am**

_Dear Nathan,_

_I am currently sitting at the picnic table by the river court. It is a gorgeous evening. The stars are beginning to make their appearance in the sky but there is enough light from the moon and lamps by the court to allow me to write this letter. I am so glad that we have shared so many moments here at this river court. It is such a peaceful place. It's almost as if I can think clearer in this certain spot. Maybe that's silly to say, I don't know. I like having places to think and relax and this place can do that for me. _

_A couple of days ago, Lucas and I were playing basketball here. I found him fishing his basketball out of the river. I will have him tell you how it got into the river. I guarantee you that you will be laughing by the end of the story. Anyways, it was really nice to get to know him better. You have a really good brother, Nate. He's really fun to be around and seems to care a lot about you. I don't remember if I told you this or not, but I think it's really cool how you two overcome your differences. I don't think I would have handled that situation all too well. All of a sudden finding out that you had an estranged brother, it's not like you hear that everyday. You have great strength my boy, I admire you for that._

_Lucas and I played two games of HORSE. We each won one game. I think we have pretty even playing levels so that was nice. I was able to brush up on my skills a bit for when you come home. When do you come home...hmm...I think it's down to three weeks now. Yay! Call me crazy but I am actually counting down the days until you come back home. When Lucas and I were playing, he mentioned to me that there is always a game for the parents to come watch at the end of camp. Lucas said that he was thinking about attending the game. I thought maybe if he was going, I would come too. Let me know in your next letter if you would like me to come cheer you on._

_So now it is time for me to write a response to the letter you sent me. You almost had me in tears when I read it, Nathan. I had no idea that I had that much of an affect on you. Thank you for telling me what happened with Tim. I think most boyfriends would just neglect to tell their girlfriends that. You on the other hand, were honest with me. You have no idea how much that means to me, the fact that you were honest to me. I am a firm believer that honesty is the glue to a relationship. It's nice to be reminded that we have a quality relationship going. Not that I didn't know that before...okay I'm rambling again, sorry, you of all people know I have a tendency to do that._

_I thought I would maybe express my gratitude towards you for how you have changed me. When we began writing letters last year, I was a little skeptical at first. To be quite honest with you, I really wasn't too thrilled that I had to write to a guy. I thought it would be really awkward and we would have nothing to talk about. I decided to put in my letter that I played basketball, hoping that would give us a little something to talk about. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that we would have so much in common. It was really nice to be able to confide in you about my family problems. They may seem really tiny compared to what you were going through at your home, but you still made an effort to comfort me through your words. _

_I often times think how thankful we should be that we were able to write letters to each other first. I think it was nice being able to get to know each other only by a letter-writing basis. I think we probably learned a lot through each other during those six months than most couples would learn in their first six months of dating. When I had to tell you that I was moving to Tree Hill, I had butterflies flying around in my stomach because I didn't know how you would react. Theresa could tell that I was just a puddle of worries when I was about to read your response. I was really afraid that you wouldn't even want to talk to me when I got here to Tree Hill. Mostly because you probably thought we would never meet and that's why you had confided in me. That scared me a whole bunch that I would get here and you wouldn't even want to see me. Boy was I wrong when I opened up your response. All of my butterflies flew away and I was left with one of the biggest smiles on my face. I think that was the first day that I realized that moving to Tree Hill wouldn't be as bad as I thought it was going to be._

_I have made some changes in my personality since knowing you, as well. I am much more outgoing than I used to be and that's all because of you. Plus, I don't think I have ever felt so confident in my entire life. You give me this amazing amount of courage whenever I am around you. All of the worries that my self-conscience floods my head with, just float away. You make me feel like I am beautiful, inside and out. No one has ever done that to me before. You also have this fantastic way of making me feel protected. You're also the biggest romantic I have ever met. Always making our dates special and memorable...I feel so privileged._

_Wow, I have written a lot. I too wish I could have told you all of this before you left, but maybe it's good that I wrote this down. Besides, before we met each other, this is how we were expressing our feelings towards each other. It's kind of fun being reminded of how our relationship began. As I look up at the sky, I finally see all of the bright shining stars. They have finally made their full fledged appearance so I think I am going to finish up this letter and then do some star gazing. I haven't found the Big and Little Dipper since I have arrived here in Tree Hill. I think it is the perfect night to search the sky for those constellations! I'm sorry this letter was a little lengthy. Hopefully it will give you something to read though, huh? I hope you are able to write back soon, Nate. I really like hearing from you and how that basketball camp of yours is going!_

_Hales_


	36. Shopping Adventure and Some Butterflies

**Chapter Thirty-Five: A Shopping Adventure and Some Butterflies**

"Haley! You have got to come out of the dressing room!"

"Brooke! You have got to be kidding me. There is no way that I am going to buy this outfit!" Haley exclaimed as she walked out of her dressing room.

"What are you talking about? You look absolutely fabulous!" Brooke stated as she walked over to Haley, who was in front of the full length mirror at the end of the dressing room hallway.

Haley was wearing a short jean mini-skirt, something she definitely wasn't used to wearing and a tight black halter top that had a low neckline.

"Can't you tell that I am not comfortable at all?"

"Haley there is one rule in fashion. In order to be fashionable, you must be at least somewhat uncomfortable."

"Haha...well then I guess I won't be fashionable!" Haley said as she began to walk back towards her dressing room.

"Haley!" Brooke moaned as she followed Haley.

"I'm not going to allow you to win this argument, Brooke."

"How about we compromise?"

"Hmm...what's your proposition?"

"What if you buy the mini skirt that I picked out for you and then you pick out a more comfortable shirt to wear with the skirt?"

"I don't know Brooke."

"Come on Hales! You have such a great figure! Nathan's going to die when he sees you in this skirt. Please at least buy the skirt," Brooke pouted.

"Alright, I give in again!"

"Yay!"

"But you have to promise that I get to pick out the shirt that goes with this skirt, okay?"

"Promise!"

Haley went back into her dressing room and changed back into her beige gaucho pants and plain green tee. She came back out of the dressing room only to find that Brooke with a very curious look on her face.

"Brooke, do I even want to ask why you have that mysterious grin on your face?" Haley said as she began to walk towards the cashier.

"Well, I was just curious when you would be wearing this new outfit of yours. Do you think you'll wear it when you see him right after he gets back from camp?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. Lucas mentioned that there is some basketball game at the end of the camp where all the friends and parents come to watch. I'm waiting for Nathan to respond in his next letter if he wants me to come."

"Of course he is going to want you to go to the game Hales."

"Well then maybe I will wear this new outfit of mine to his game," Haley stated as she paid the cashier for her mini-skirt.

"Nope!" Brooke exclaimed as they walked out of the store and into the main part of the mall.

"Haha Brooke, I bought this skirt to wear. You even said that if I wear this when I see Nathan, he's going to go nuts."

"Exactly!"

"I am not following you."

"Hales, don't you get it? If you wear that skirt to his game, he's not going to be able to concentrate because all he's going to be focusing on is you!"

"I don't think he would react that way."

"Are you kidding me? You're gorgeous Haley! Of course he would go nuts so that's why you should wear it when he gets back home."

"Alright, I guess I'll take your advice."

"Okay so now that we have that settled, we have to go find you a cute top for that skirt of yours."

"Nuh uh, I have to go find a cute top for my skirt. All you can do is watch!"

"I never should have agreed to you picking out the shirt. You know me...when I see a cute shirt, I just can't help but keep my eyes off of it!"

"I suppose you'll just have to work on your patience a little bit. I promise you Brooke, the top I pick out won't be hideous."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Haley and Brooke continued to walk around the mall, searching aimlessly for a new top for Haley. They finally found a store that had what Haley was looking for. She ended up purchasing a light blue and light green striped tee. It went absolutely perfect with the faded jean mini skirt she had purchased earlier, even Brooke approved! Luckily for Haley, there were also some matching light green flip-flops that would go along with her outfit. She purchased those as well. The girls headed back to Haley's home, Brooke driving of course. Haley's parents never bought her a car but Brooke had a nice baby blue Volkswagon Bug that she liked to drive around. After driving for about fifteen minutes, they finally had arrived to Haley's house. Upon getting out of the car and grabbing her shopping bags, Haley trotted over to the mailbox, hoping a letter from a special someone would be in the box. She opened up the mailbox and inside was the letter she was waiting for.

"EEEE!!" Haley yelled as she skipped to her front door.

"Woah! What's with the sudden display of emotion?" Brooke exclaimed as she followed Haley into the house.

"Nathan's letter arrived!"

"Haha...you're adorable Hales."

"I'm just curious as to what he is going to write next."

"Well go on, open up the letter."

Haley slowly opened up the letter and pulled out the letter that the envelope held. She had some butterflies in her stomach. This moment reminded her of the same moment, a couple of months ago, when she was waiting to find out Nathan's response on her moving to Tree Hill. The same butterflies were flying around in her stomach. Oh how this boy of hers made her stomach turn into knots.

_Dear Haley,_

_I'm finally beginning to get used to the workout routine the coach has been making us do. My arms and legs aren't as sore anymore, which is good. I used to go to bed feeling stiff and achy. That's definitely not something you want to feel before you go to bed, especially when you're at camp! I have been working on my jump shots lately. I make about 80 percent of the shots I take. I'm pretty happy! So you and Lucas have been hanging out, eh? I can't even imagine what this story of his is. You know about a year ago, he was standing by the river and dropped the ball into the water when a fish jumped out of the water. It scared him half to death. I of course was laughing and teasing the whole time. _

_It seems that you are making more friends now, huh? I'm glad that you have found some people to bum around with while I am away. When we start school in the fall, I'm sure you'll fit right in already knowing people. Are Brooke and Lucas still doing well with that relationship of theirs? I think we should all go out on another date again; except maybe this time, a little less drama. Let me know if you would be willing to go out on another double date with them. I'm sure Brooke would be ecstatic. We sure have grown a lot since that last date of ours, don't you think? Who knew that going out with Brooke and Lucas would help us strengthen our relationship! Lucas mentioned to me before I left, that he and Brooke also re-evaluated their relationship that evening. I think that night was good for them too. I suppose you will find out the details when you have your girl-talk with Brooke._

_Now, to answer your question from your previous letter, of course I want you to come to my basketball game! I was going to mention it to you in my next letter. You beat me too it! I'm glad Lucas will be able to take you, that way I know that you're in good hands. It happens three days before camp ends. We are all split up into two teams and then we play against each other. It's probably my favorite time of camp. It's kind of like a celebration type thing like, "Hey! We actually made it!" haha. It's always fun for me because then I can look back to the beginning of camp and see how much I have improved._

_I know this letter is a little short but I have to go eat dinner now. Coach is being all cool and is taking us to some pizza place down the street. Cafeteria food is getting very old and it will be nice to have some pizza for a change! I hope you are able to write back soon. I miss you!_

_Nathan_

Haley looked up from her letter with a huge smile on her face.

"I take it from the look on your face; he wants you to go to the game."

"Yup, he sure does!"

"Haha...I knew he would want you to go. Now we have to find you an outfit for his game!' Brooke said cheerfully.

"Uh oh...here we go again!" Haley teased as her and Brooke walked upstairs and into her bedroom to listen to some music.


	37. A Perky Haley and an Exhuasted Nathan

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Perky Girlfriend and an Exhausted Boyfriend**

It was already 10:30 at night and Nathan was completely exhausted. His day consisted of running three miles around the local suburbs. Afterwards, the team had to complete several different drills in the camp's gymnasium. All he had wanted to do was go home and sleep in his comfortable bed. The bedding they provided at the camp wasn't anything close to being luxury. The cot had a simple mattress on it and plain white sheets that Nathan had brought from home. The camp did provide sheets for each of the players, but he didn't even want to think of who else had slept on those ratty old bed sheets. The dorm rooms were at least fifty years old and the paint was chipping off of the walls. Even though the dorm rooms each had a private bathroom, the bathrooms had a small shower with a very tiny shower head. Let's just say that the living arrangements weren't anything close to a four star hotel!

Nathan changed into a white t-shirt and a blue pair of basketball shorts. He sat down at his desk and opened up the letter Haley had sent him. He couldn't help but notice the fancy doodling she had drawn on the envelope. When he tore open the envelope, the stationery the envelope held was just as colorful. Haley had drawn tiny basketballs around the rim of the page. In between the basketballs, she had written his name in blue and silver letters. He could tell that she had spent a lot of time on his letter and he couldn't help but smile at the thought of thinking of her.

_Dear Nathan,_

_Hello there Mr. HotShot Basketball Player!!! Are you enjoying camp so far? It's been almost two weeks since you have arrived at that camp of yours which means you have only two weeks left! Yay! Can you tell that I am just a bit excited to see you? I hope that you are just as excited to see me! Can you tell that I'm a little hyper right now? I just had a giant glass of caffeinated soda and a huge piece of chocolate cake with Brooke! I tell ya, that girl is definitely making an impact on me! First of all, she took me shopping around that mall of yours. Who knew that you could spend so much time in a mall that's like the size of my house? Well, not really the size of my house, but it's not like it's the Mall of America or something. Then, she had me all hopped up on sugar and then left me all by lonesome so that she could go hang out with Lucas. It's okay though, I'm not all that mad, writing to you is more enjoyable anyway._

_Hmmm...what else should I tell you! So many things to write about yet so little writing space on this little notecard of mine. By the way, do you like the stationery this letter is written on? I made it just for you! I managed to find a box of markers in my closet the other day. Before I started writing this letter, I scribbled some basketballs around the outline of this stationery. I suppose it's really not that great looking but c'mon, it's the effort that counts! I know I'm a dork but I love making little odds and ends and decorating stationery and whatnot. I am quite the crafty, artsy little person. I guess you really couldn't call me artsy though because I can't draw worth a hoot, but I like to make collages and things like that! Okay, I am totally getting off subject but it gives you something to read, right? Right! _

_I can't break my silence anymore and I have to tell you that you were right about what happened with Lucas at the river court the other day. He really did drop the ball into the water when a fish jumped out of the river and scared him half to death! Oh so funny it was. I just could not stop laughing. He really didn't find it all that funny, but the other day he got me back by making me think I had lost your basketball. That's right, that brother of yours hid the basketball behind the bleachers when he noticed that I was frantically looking for the ball. I was searching high and low around all of the random bushes around that river court. It was not a pretty sight, I'll tell you that. Anyways, he came up behind me and told me to go look behind the bleachers. Behind the bleachers was the beloved brown, leather basketball that I had been hunting for. I guess we're even now...hehe._

_I will definitely be cheering you on at the game in a couple of weeks! I am so glad that you want me to come because I was really hoping that you would want me to be there. Lucas and Brooke will be going with me. Oh and to answer your question, yes, Lucas and Brooke are still going strong. I was talking to Lucas the other night and he told me that he was thinking about telling Brooke that he loved her. I guess to me, it sounds like it is almost too soon to be telling someone they love them. They're only like, what, two months into their relationship? Isn't that rushing it a little bit? I don't know, I guess you can't really pinpoint a certain time in a relationship to tell them that you love them. I suppose if it was me though, I would wait at least another month. I think some people use those three words way too lightly. They are such powerful words. I can't imagine telling them to someone who I wasn't exactly one hundred percent sure of that I loved them. Does that make sense? _

_I just noticed how my first three paragraphs were full of spunk and excitement and then the last chapter I just wrote was all serious. It's like I'm going from one emotion to the other! I suppose the sugar is just warring off now. That's probably a good thing though because it is 9:30 at night and I need to go to bed pretty soon. I have a big day tomorrow! Would you like to know what I am doing tomorrow? I bet you do so now I shall tell you! I am going shopping! Haha...did you expect something really fantastic like going to the beach or going on a mini road trip? Oh the beach sounds like fun! I love the beach. Okay, I'm getting off topic again! I apologize. I think the sugar is beginning to run through my system again! Anyways, it's a big day, so says spunky Brooke Davis. She told me before she left that I needed to get as much sleep tonight as possible because we had a big day tomorrow. I can't even imagine what we haven't seen in that mall yet but at least it is something to do! It will be fun, I hope...hehe. I don't think I'm really shopping for me though. I think she is planning on buying an outfit for her anniversary with Lucas. I suppose we will find something fabulous for her to wear!_

_Now I am just rambling so I should probably stop writing this letter to you now. I think I am just going to go turn off the lights, climb into bed, and just lay there while listening to some music. That should hopefully calm me down a little bit. I mean really, how long could this sugar rush last? I guess I am about to find out, huh? Well, here's to at least some sleep tonight! Oh goodness, never again am I letting Brooke convince me to eat all that sugar so late at night. I guess it's true about experiencing things is the only way to learn! I hope you are doing well at camp! I'm sure your doing a great job! Only two more weeks!_

_Hales_

He pulled out his notebook and ripped out yet another page of lined paper. He knew exactly what he was going to say to her. It was always so easy for Nathan to write to Haley and he really couldn't figure out why, he just knew that she had an amazing affect on him.

_Dear Haley,_

_I have never seen that side of you Haley James! You were so hyper in that letter you sent me. Brooke really does seem to be having an affect on you! Your letter was really funny though, I enjoyed reading it. You gave me a good laugh this evening. Today has been one of the longest days of my life. Coach decided to make us run three miles this morning. To make matters worse, he had us running at six o'clock in the morning! I'm starting to get a little tired of this camp. Coach seems to be making this camp harder than the others I have attended in the past. I heard he and his wife are getting a divorce and that's why he's making practice so strenuous. I suppose he's just channeling all of his frustration and anger towards us. Speaking of divorce, I wonder how my parent's marriage is. Do you have any idea on where they stand right now? I suppose you don't. I hope that by the time I get back from camp, they will at least have signed the divorce papers. That's so horrible, isn't it? When does any kid really wish for their parents to get a divorce? I guess I just want my mom to be happy and she isn't going to be happy with my dad smothering her all of the time. Hopefully the divorce will make my dad change his ways too? Maybe he won't pressure me anymore and act like a normal father around me. That's probably wishful thinking but a guy can dream, right? It has been nice though, not having him here around me for the past two weeks. _

_I agree with you on the whole 'I Love You' subject. I think it's definitely too soon for them to be saying those words to each other. I guess whatever feels right for them is what matters most. They do make quite the vibrant couple though. She is such a cheerful person and is always rambling on about something. Lucas, on the other hand, is reserved and would much rather be writing down his feelings than telling them to someone. I suppose they are good for each other. Lucas can teach Brooke to tone it down a bit and Brooke can show Lucas how to have a little harmless fun. Oh and by the way, before Lucas and I were buddies, I was Brooke's best friend. Guess who had to go shopping with her? Yup that's right, me! I think I know the layout of every single store in that mall. She dragged me there every weekend. First, she would have me help find clothes for her. She had me stand outside of the dressing room and then tell her what outfits looked good on her and what outfits did not. Then, she would take me to men's clothing stores and pick out outfits for me to try on. I can't even tell you how many remarks and funny faces I received from various store clerks and customers. You are probably wondering why Peyton wasn't the one to go with her. Peyton always managed to give Brooke an excuse for not going to the mall with her. I guess I was Brooke's rebound. Oh well, she definitely has quite the spunky attitude. You can't help but laugh when you are around her._

_This letter is going to be really short again. I apologize but I really need to head to bed. It is already 11 o'clock and I can hardly keep my eyes open. I am so exhausted, Hales, and I still have to take a shower! I have started a routine where I take a shower before I go to bed so I can just roll out of bed the next morning. It's such a good idea, too. I am able to sleep in longer. I promise to make this up to you in my next letter though! I'm talking a lot of paragraphs! Goodnight!_

_Nathan _


End file.
